Chasing after a Legend (Ash's Last Battle REDUX)
by gameboyguy
Summary: A redux of my old fanfiction, Ash's Last Battle. Ash has just emerged victorious in the Kalos League, but even that was just a precursor to the real epic battle. When Ash's hero, a legend long-thought to be dead, is rumored to have returned, the new champion sets out to find him so that he may fulfill his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. It may turn out to be his last battle...
1. Prologue

There's a story that goes around Kanto and Johto. A pretty spectacular one at that.

It's a story that revolves around a vast world filled with hundreds of creatures that have powers to summon raging infernos, call upon violent bolts of electricity, and change the face of the planet as they see fit (just to name a few). A story about an amazingly talented hero who befriended a multitude of these magical beasts and worked with them to emerge victorious in the harsh and difficult battles that they were thrust into. A story about a noble youth who was the very best, like no one ever was.

It all started when that hero - a black-haired, thin thirteen-year-old boy sporting a red and white cap, jacket, and shoes, black shirt, and blue pants - was stopped from wandering into a few patches of tall grass by a kindly old man.

"It's unsafe! Wild Pokémon live in tall grass!" The aged soul, after catching his breath from his timely interference, stammered. "You need your own Pokémon for protection. I know! Here, come with me!"

The boy was taken to the elder's laboratory, for this man was none other than Professor Oak, the premier authority on Pokémon not only in Kanto, but throughout the world. Waiting for them was Oak's grandson - a brown and spiky-haired seven-year-old - with an obvious look of jealously plastered on his face. After a brief conversation between the professor and his grandson, the boy was given his own magical creature to adventure throughout Kanto with - the fire-tailed, orange lizard known as Charmander. He was tasked with completing the Pokedex, a high-tech encyclopedia with information on all known Pokémon throughout the Kanto region.

But that boy - that red cap-wearing, black-haired thirteen-year-old boy with a Charmander - did so much more.

He formed a close and inseparable bond with not only Charmander, but with so many more Pokémon that he met on his journey. He did battle with other Pokémon trainers and became stronger with every battle that he won. He took on the eight gym leaders, the second-toughest set of trainers that inspired awe in the hearts of Kanto residents, and defeated them one by one. He fought the teams of the Elite Four, the mightiest set of trainers in Kanto, and beat them at their best. And after a long and hard bout with the red-haired and cape-wearing Champion named Lance, he became the renowned Champion of the Pokémon League, cementing himself and his Pokémon in glory.

But he wasn't done yet. He caught all known Pokémon in Kanto, even the legendary birds that few actually saw, fulfilling Professor Oak's dream of completing the Pokedex. And even then, there are rumors that he went not one, but two steps beyond, capturing two Pokémon that very few even know exist. Rumors that he alone climbed the so-called haunted Lavender Tower and put to rest numerous spirits that terrorized the town. Rumors that he not only encountered, but nearly destroyed the notorious Team Rocket, a wicked band of criminals that caused pain and fear through Kanto and Johto, and brought its powerful leader to his knees. And even a silly rumor that along the shores of Cinnabar Island he encountered and drove away some sort of bizarre thing that shouldn't have even come into the world to begin with. A creature that supposedly destroyed anything it touched.

All of this when he was not even of age yet.

His stories - both the facts and the rumors - became known to many. His prodigious reputation, his unique relationship with his Pokémon, his silent, intimidating, but reassuring manner, and his almost otherworldly skill in battle, were planted into the lore of Kanto and Johto, inspiring thousands of people to go on their own journey so that they would become as great as him. His name became synonymous with power and promise. Although he may have not been particularly fond of it, he achieved the status of a celebrity all when he was just barely turning fourteen. It seemed obvious to most people that this youth was quite possibly the greatest trainer in all of existence.

Then one day he just disappeared. No one knows exactly what happened or when it happened. All that is known is that at some point, the boy quietly left the limelight and was nowhere to be found, not even in his hometown of Pallet. His own mother, as well as Professor Oak, were not able to give answers as to the boy's whereabouts. So people could only go off on even more rumors, the most prevalent one being that he died. The circumstances of his death varied; sometimes it was from drowning, other times it was from getting dragged into a Pokémon battle himself, and other times it was from an assassination. But there was also another rumor: that the boy traveled to the gargantuan Mt. Silver and climbed up to the summit to further hone his own and his Pokémon's skills, and that he still resides there to this very day. Most people disregarded this, though. After all, Mt. Silver is barely habitable, with its harsh cold, steep cliffs, and wild and savage Pokémon that would shock even the most hardened of trainers.

Regardless, after the boy disappeared, so did his reputation. Indeed, as time passed, people forgot about the feats that he achieved. His tales were replaced by new champions on the planet -champions that were often seen in public, thereby preventing themselves from being forgotten. Meanwhile, Pokémon in other regions continued to impress the human race, bolstered by the fact that ancient and mythical Pokémon also began to make themselves known to the world. It has been ten years since the boy started his journey. In that time, many things have changed. Ten-year-olds are given a choice between school and going on their own Pokémon journey. The Pokémon League's tradition of fighting through the Elite Four and the Champion was replaced by a tournament in which all qualifying trainers fight each other before the last one standing goes for the five strongest trainers of the League. All Pokedexes were completed not by trainers who went out into the world developing their own journeys, but by researchers.

But that does not mean that the legacy that the protagonist of this tale died. On the contrary, it continued to grow and spread through the planet even after his disappearance. And although most forgot about him, that did not erase his existence. There are still those who have heard of his legend, those who try to decipher the mystery behind both his unbelievable triumphs and his sudden disappearance, those who believe that he is still alive and have set out to try and find him. And there are those who aim to be just like him - to be the very best, like no one ever was. One of these people is a seventeen-year-old trainer with a Pikachu who, as a seven-year-old, was stupefied by the battles shown on TV of the red-clothed boy in the Pokémon League.


	2. Hall of Fame

**Welp...Finally got this done.**

 **Geeze, this is long overdue. I've barely started this story and I'm already slow! Sorry, guys. I really kept you waiting too long. That being said, I guess it was a good call to say that I wouldn't be promising a schedule with publishing chapters...**

 **Lots of things have happened in the time between this chapter and the last. As of August 10, 2016, the day on which this chapter is uploaded, Ash is in the finals of the Kalos League and may very well become the champion, after all. On top of that, Pokemon Sun and Moon will be released in a couple of short months! And here I am writing a reboot to a story that started at a time when all that anyone knew about was Ash's Sinnoh League crap and the fact that Generation 5 was gonna be a thing after all. That was about six years ago, I think.**

 **Without further ado, though, I present to you...**

* * *

Ash Satoshi Ketchum won. Amidst the outrageously excited cheers of the audience, the announcer's proclamation of the new winner of the Kalos League, Pikachu's loving nudge on his best friend's shoulder, and Greninja's exhausted but proud eyes looking back at his trainer, Ash had to tell himself a few times that he actually did it before it finally sunk in. Funny, the feeling of actually accomplishing your goal is different than just saying that you will.

Ash, since he was ten years old, boasted about how he would be the greatest Pokémon master that the world had ever seen. Young, eager, and full of energy, he declared to the world in front of him that he would be the very best, like no one ever was. That he would befriend and battle alongside a multitude of powerful Pokémon that would absolutely dominate the competition, and eventually stand atop of the world like the king he was. Leaving the town of Pallet with his very first Pokémon, Pikachu, Ash was convinced that nothing could stand in his way.

There was one problem, though. Ash sucked.

During his venture in the Indigo League, the new trainer, blinded by eagerness and a thirst to prove himself, failed to see that he won many of his battles due to the change of heart of trainers whom he had helped, the coaching of his friends, the abnormal characteristics of his Pokémon, or just pure luck. The fact of the matter was, for most of the eight gym battles that he fought in, he had to rely on one of those four factors to earn his victory.

That's not to say Ash was totally helpless. He did have those moments where he showcased actual talent as a trainer. Potential was definitely residing in the boy, there was no doubt about that. After all, he had an unnaturally strong bond with his Pokémon, and for all of his bumbling and mistakes, he could prove his worth when it came down to it. But often, after a show of impressive skill, he would downplay it by an unfortunate reveal of just how inexperienced he really was. This could be seen during the Pokémon League tournament; after getting through three rounds with the help of coaching from his friends Misty and Brock, Ash decided that for the fourth round, he didn't want any help. He wanted to win by himself. And, to the pleasant surprise of his friends and family, he did, even outperforming his rival, Gary Oak, in the process. But it was a one-hit wonder, for in the fifth round, the result was far less pleasing. Ash lost that round not because of a hard-fought battle; in fact, he lost because his Charizard, arguably his most powerful Pokémon at the time, _refused to battle_ , leaving his trainer looking like a total idiot.

But the thing about Ash was, he really hated giving up. He saw enough of that before he started his journey, and he was really sick of it. So he didn't stop at the Indigo League. He trudged on, traveling around the globe and trying his luck in training not only more Pokémon, but himself as well, so that he wouldn't repeat his embarrassing loss in Kanto and instead come out of every battle with dignity and strength. For eight years, he made his way through spectacular lands, met and befriended creatures that would become forces to be reckoned with, and fought both against and alongside a variety of powerful trainers, growing from these experiences and becoming stronger with every step. And now, at seventeen years old, standing in the Kalos League stadium across from the reigning champion Diantha and her fainted Gardevoir, his bright determination and immeasurable skill had finally paid off.

Before the match, Ash imagined the possibility of his victory: he would have been cheering even louder than the audience with his Pokémon and human companions at his side, ecstatic at the fact that he had become one of the strongest trainers on the planet. Now, though, even when he indeed won the match, and even when Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie joined him, Pikachu, and Greninja in celebration, he could only stand there with a completely dumbfounded stare upon his face. Across the battlefield, Diantha, after returning Gardevoir to her Poké Ball and congratulating her for a job well done, noticed Ash's lack of a celebratory reaction and formed a small smile across her lips. Well, it's not every day you become one of the Champions of the world, after all...

It didn't even register to Ash that Diantha had made her way from her side of the field to just a few feet in front of him until she spoke. "Congratulations, Mr. Ketchum," the superstar gently said as she raised her arm to offer the new Champion a handshake.

"I-th-thank you," Ash stammered before accepting the defeated trainer's gesture.

As the new champion shook the defeated trainer's hand, still with a blank and disbelieving look upon his face, one of his companions looked up at him and, through teary yet radiant eyes, noticed the odd behavior that he was exhibiting. Now that wasn't the Ash that she knew. Not the one she loved. So Serena gently placed her hands on his left arm, snapping him back into reality from his almost trance-like state. Ash, slightly alarmed, turned to his friend that he knew since childhood, and was met with a gentle smile on an intensely admiring face.

Ash smiled back brightly, for looking at Serena made him realize that he had every right to be happy like she was.

* * *

He really shouldn't have been putting this off. A collection of poetry, a research paper on the significance in the relationship between a trainer and his or her first Pokémon, a conference regarding the migration of Pokémon between regions: all deadlines to be met in just a few short days. The premier citizen of Pallet Town should be preparing his projects for submission, his notes and findings for publication, his best suit for travel. Not wasting his time watching TV. He was tempted to flip the switch and get his business taken care of before it was too late.

Yet as Professor Samuel Oak watched the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Ash Ketchum, newest Champion of the Kalos League, on his small television set surrounded by the clutter of his desk, he found that he could not bring himself to get out of his chair and meet his soon-to-be urgent matters. And even though he probably should have been worried (and deep inside, WANTED to be worried), he just couldn't care less. He was too happy. Was it pride? Sentimentality? Most likely a mixture of both. All that Oak knew was that he couldn't stop himself from grinning as the Pokémon that Ash attained his victory with were recorded in the illustrious and high-tech machine and broadcasted around the world for all to see.

Ash Satoshi Ketchum. To think that such a strong, proud, and mighty trainer that had traveled almost around the entire globe started out as a clueless 10-year-old. Oak could still remember the day Ash clumsily arrived at his lab, still in his pajamas, having overslept and thus missing the opportunity to begin his journey with one of the three standard Kanto starter Pokémon. So instead, Ash got a hostile and lazy Pikachu who wanted nothing more than to fry his new trainer to death. At that time, the Professor knew that the child had a long way to go.

Now that child was seventeen, Champion of the Kalos League, and recognized as one of the greatest trainers in the world. It was really quite remarkable. Very few battlers who are that young can carry such a title that Ash now carried. But Professor Oak wasn't worried about fame getting to Ash's head. Why, that young man was more than ready, and more than deserving, of walking away from the Kalos League like any worthy Champion should: proud of and grateful to his skill and the wondrous Pokémon that helped him get so far, as well as welcoming and kind to those who wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Oak watched as the television screen zoomed in on Ash's ecstatic face, surrounded by his dear friends - human and Pokémon - who were equally as joyous. Next to the small group of friends were an applauding Diantha and Professor Sycamore - one of Oak's close colleagues - backed up by an excitedly roaring audience as thousands of pieces of confetti rained from the sky, the sky that majestic bird Pokémon flew in as they circled above the stadium. And as he viewed this spectacle, another thought crept into the head of Kanto's premier authority of Pokémon: how much the ceremonies have changed. How much the leagues have changed.

Before, there was no tournament to go through before fighting the Elite Four and the Champion; in fact, back then, after a trainer defeated eight gym leaders, they automatically qualified to take on the respective league's toughest trainers, one-by-one, with no resting periods (not that many people were able to last through all of them). And the only audience that watched these epic battles was made up of a select few that were invited. There was no grand ceremony when a trainer made it into the Hall of Fame, either. In fact, all that happened was that the winning trainer, accompanied by either the former Champion or the Professor himself (sometimes both), walked into a bright, golden hallway with a single machine at the end of it. In that machine, the Pokémon of the new Hall of Famer would be recorded, and only then would it be broadcasted to the world that there was a new Champion. No grand show, no widespread celebration. That didn't stop people around the planet from looking up to these winners as the personification of talent and mastery, of course, but at the same time, since they didn't witness the battles of the Hall of Famers themselves, they could only speculate on how and with what Pokémon they fought. Nowadays, everything that anyone wanted to know about the modern Champions could be easily attainable.

Oak closed his eyes while reminiscing on the traditions of the past. Times sure had changed. It was simpler in those days. Whether that was a good or bad thing, was up to debate. The Professor opened his eyes, still smiling, and was met with another close-up of Ash's bright face, his jet-black hair, his red cap, and his determined, strong eyes. Oak's smile faltered slightly upon seeing this. Speaking of the previous Pokémon League format, Ash really did have a resemblance to the last trainer who cemented himself in that Hall of Fame of Indigo Plateau...

 _"You understand that your victory was not just your own doing! The bond you share with your Pokémon is marvelous!"_

Those were the words that, ten years ago, the Professor had bestowed onto the nodding and beaming thirteen-year-old who was locked in a tight embrace by his Charizard, much to the amusement and admiration of his opponent Lance.

 _"You have endeavored hard to become the new League Champion. Congratulations, you and your Pokémon are Hall of Famers!"_

"Congratulations, Ash Ketchum, you and your Pokémon are Hall of Famers!"

Oak opened his eyes, startled by the words that the announcer on the TV screen delivered to the overwhelmingly jubilant Ash, surrounded by his equally excited Pokémon and human companions.

"Professor?" Oak turned around and saw his assistant, Tracey, at the door with a phone in his hand. "It's Ms. Ketchum, Professor Oak. Calling about the Kalos League. I think you know what this is about." Tracey smiled at his teacher.

Oak blinked in confusion for a moment before chuckling. Well, that was another deadline that completely slipped his radar: getting ready for Delia Ketchum to speak with pride and gratitude of her son's achievement. "Thank you very much, Tracey," Oak said to his protégé as he walked over to him and picked up the phone.

* * *

 **Didn't wanna waste your time at the beginning of the page, so I saved this for the end!**

 **As you may notice, the universe in which this fanfic takes place in is focused much more on the anime side, but still with a good chunk of the games blended in. Back in the original _Ash's Last Battle_ , I kinda just mashed the game universe and anime universe together and was convinced that it made sense..."was" being the operative word here.**

 **I'm not gonna bother making false promises about when the next chapter will be up, but I will say this: I will write it as quickly AND as well as I can. I know that doesn't have much meaning, since neither you nor I can really say how much time I will take, but I just wanna let you guys know: I'm not forgetting about this, I'm gonna try and get this finished, and I'm gonna make sure that it doesn't come off as rushed, nonsensical, and/or crappy.**

 **Thanks again for your continued reading and support, guys! You're the real Champions here. =)**


	3. Champion's Fandom

**Whew...How long has it been? Seven months? Damn, I'm late...**

 **What's with the long wait? In short: college. Lots and lots of things keeping me busy, giving me barely enough time to work on this. This chapter isn't even as long as I would have liked. And for that, I apologize.**

 **With that said, I'm still obviously going to be busy with all of my classes and whatnot, so I can't guarantee that the next chapter will be anytime soon. But, I'll at least set a deadline for myself: By the end of May. I'll hopefully have the next chapter up by then. I know that's still two months, but bear with me!**

 **Thanks for being so patient, guys. You're awesome, and I sincerely mean that.**

* * *

Busy, busy Bulbasaur, taking care of what the Professor couldn't. Watching over the young Pokémon that were still too nervous to even look at a human other than the Professor. Stopping the potential brawl that could have erupted between a Rhydon and a Nidoking over the petty matter of bumping into each other. These were, more or less, his daily responsibilities. But today, he had one more, given to him by the Professor himself. And so he sprinted through the Oak Corral, gathering all of his trainer's companions for a special announcement to be made to all of them. Exactly what that announcement was, he didn't know, but considering the ones he was asked to assemble, he could deduce that it had something to do with Ash. Not to mention, based on the wide smile on Professor Oak's face, he knew that it could only be good news.

Bulbasaur was almost done. Most of Ash's Pokémon made it to the lab, where Oak was waiting, in little to no time at all. After all, when it came to news about their trainer, they would find themselves filled with adrenaline, no matter what type of news it was. The only one Bulbasaur still had to tell was –

" _Cross! Hera, Heracross!_ "

The seed Pokémon stopped dead in his tracks. The excitement on his face quickly turned to dread as he looked around the small forest that surrounded him.

" _Cross!_ "

That cry was getting closer. If Bulbasaur didn't act soon, he would be trapped, a meal begging to be devoured…

" _HERACROSS!_ "

Bulbasaur jumped back. The creature's cries were coming right from those trees in front of him, probably waiting for an opportunity to strike. But the Kanto native had him figured out. There was no way that fiend would get the drop on him, now –

" _Heracross!_ "

Bursting from the leaves of the tree behind Bulbasaur, a five-foot, single-horned, bulking monster, flying straight for the horrified Bulbasaur's back…

" _Hrmm! Hera, Heracross!_ "

Bulbasaur growled in exasperation as Heracross helped himself, feeding upon the sap that the grass starter was known for. This was the reason he had saved the Bug Pokémon for last…

* * *

"Ash is the newest Champion of the Kalos League."

At first, all of the fighters standing in front of Professor Oak blinked a couple of times.

Then they exploded, their cheers booming over the entire facility, making the other Pokémon turn their heads in surprise, and townsfolk passing by the lab stumble in momentary fear. It was actually quite the sight, from some of Ash's teammates embracing each other, to others shooting off their moves into the air, in a grand victory ceremony of their own. Fireworks like Solar Beam and Flamethrower dazzling in the sky, beautiful wings of the flying-types taking off through the air, and roars of victory that put even the most vocal of Exlpoud to shame. Even if their trainer was thousands of miles away, they could still feel the immense joy and pride he felt through the connections he fostered within all of them. Their partner – their _big brother_ – was a hero.

The sight of the Pokémon's own victory ceremony spread the smile on Professor Oak's face even wider. It really was touching, the bond that these friends had with that young man. If only he had some kind of camera, he could have recorded the whole thing and show Ash. Then again, a drawing probably would be better…

"Keep celebrating, everyone!" Oak told the crowd of over 30 in front of him. "But whatever you do, don't move from that spot…" Oak's voice flustered once he came to realize that all of them were too caught up in their jubilee to pay him any attention. They would probably be there for a while, anyway. And so, the Professor began to turn and head back into the lab so that he could retrieve Tracey and get him to draw the scene playing out in front of him. Then he noticed that among the surrounding Pokémon watching the spectacle, floating atop one of the sparkling lakes of the corral, was a lone Lapras, one with the slightest expression of sadness on his face, almost as if what his eyes were locked on reminded him of something…

Samuel Oak gazed at Lapras for just a few moments, but even in that short moment of time, waves of memories, memories that Pokémon could very well have been reminiscing on, flowed through his head. And that's when a question popped into the researcher's head: Just how many years ago was it when Lapras celebrated his trainer's victory over an Elite Four and its Champion?

* * *

A few hours. It had only been a few hours since Ash conquered the Kalos League. And yet he found himself almost totally exhausted, not because he hadn't fully recovered from the bout for the title, nor because of a hard day's work of training. It wasn't even a lack of sleep that left him drained. In fact, what was costing him his strength was something that others could relish in, something that REVITALIZED their spirit rather than beat it.

It was the media.

Mere minutes after his induction into the Hall of Fame, Ash found himself surrounded by news reporters, paparazzi, photographers and journalists, bombarding him with questions, eager to get as much information as they could about Kalos' newest Champion. Some of them even tried getting input from Pikachu, even going as far as poking him in attempts to get his attention. One particular photographer pinched Pikachu's cheeks, blabbering on about getting a great shot for a soon-to-be-written article called "One of the most powerful Pokémon in the League, as cute as a baby!" Naturally, it didn't end well for Ash nor the photographer (though Ash already experienced one-too-many electric blasts from his long-time friend to feel even remotely upset by it).

But it didn't stop there. After Ash gave some lame responses to questions and awkwardly posing for photos, representatives for the biggest names on the planet, from Silph Co., to the Devon Corporation, to a popular organization in the Alola region called the "Aether Foundation", approached him in hopes of signing him on as a spokesperson for each of their respective companies. And of course, this led to another crowd of fans and media hounding him about these "amazing contracts" that didn't actually happen yet. It was only thanks to Serena plucking him away from his new fan base was he able to escape and make his way back to their room at the Pokémon Center. Now, Ash and Pikachu were collapsed on the floor, free from the spotlight…For a few minutes, anyway.

"HEEEEEEY!"

That shrill, childish voice, carefree and innocent. Must be Bonnie. Ash slowly turned his head to face the restless blonde child, and muttered, "Yeah, Bonnie?"

"How are you FEELING!? Aren't ya happy!? Are you still shocked?! You know you're the very very very best in the whole world, right!? When are ya gonna get a cool costume like Diantha?! Are ya lying down 'cuz you're sick, or something!?"

Even with the sheer amount of fatigue in his body, Ash couldn't help but muster a smile and reply, "Feeling tired, I'm pretty happy, still in a little bit of shock, I'm not the very best yet, I'm not gonna get a costume, and I'm just trying to get some rest."

" _De-Deden!_ "

Pikachu, though face-flat against the floor, still poked his ears up in recognition of the fellow electric mouse approaching. He rolled over to his side to look at Dedenne, Bonnie's best friend. Noticing the sparks coming out of Dedenne's cheeks, Pikachu weakly smiled like his trainer and returned what he understood to be Dedenne's "congratulations" with his own tiny spout of electricity: "thank you."

"Ash?"

Ash forced himself to sit up and saw Clemont, glasses and machine-pack in tow, standing at the doorway of their room. "Uh, yeah? What's up?"

"I was just wondering, since Pikachu seems tired, if the equipment downstairs here in the Center isn't working? If so…" Clemont's tone suddenly changed from inquisitive to confident, complete with an authoritative push against his glasses. "I can go downstairs and fix things up for you. After all, who knows what bugs I may find, given the possibility that the mass influx of trainers during the competition caused some machinery to overload-"

"It's okay, Clemont."

"Huh?" Clemont looked at his companion, a bit disappointedly, at that.

"Nothing's wrong with the machinery," Ash muttered as he made his way back up to his feet. "But there's definitely something wrong with me. Some Champion I am, forgetting to heal my Pokémon up…" He pulled five Poké Balls out of his jacket and brought them close to his face. "Sorry, guys…"

" _Piii-kaaa…_ " Pikachu grumbled, knowing what Ash was about to ask.

"Sorry, buddy, but you too," Ash replied with a small smirk. He stood for a few more moments before Pikachu finally brought himself back up and somehow found the strength to climb up to his shoulder. "See you guys soon." Ash walked past Clemont and offered a small wave to the Lumiose family, then made his way downstairs, where he could hear people demanding to know where their idol was. Oh, great…

Bonnie, Clemont, and Dedenne watched their friend for a while longer; then –

"What was up with you, anyway?"

"What?" Clemont turned to his little sister, surprised by the accusing tone of her voice.

"Y'know," Bonnie continued, raising a finger up at her sibling. "Acting like Mr. Hotshot now that you're pals with the Champion?"

"Bonnie!" Clemont reeled back in embarrassment. "D-don't be ridiculous! I was only trying to help Ash, that's all!"

"I dunno. You sounded puh-retty cocky back there. Right Dedenne?" Bonnie turned to her best friend, who nodded in agreement.

"I…" Clemont tried to come up with a retort, but, for all of his genius, he could not find one. Because Bonnie was right. All he could do was scratch his head sheepishly while she shook her head in disapproval.

"Hey, wait a sec," Bonnie turned her attention away from her brother to the rest of the room, as if looking for something. Or rather, someone. "Where's Serena?"

* * *

He did it. He really won.

Those were the beautiful words that rang through Serena's head as she looked down from the balcony at the swarms of people crowding into the Pokémon Center. They were all coming to see _him_. And she couldn't be more overjoyed. Not because of the fact that all of those people could exhaust Ash entirely – in fact, she had half a mind to go and protect him – but because everyone was finally seeing what she saw in him all along. Strength, hope, care, and determination.

Those qualities were tested, no doubt about that. Ash wasn't invincible, after all, and there were definitely setbacks that almost broke him. Most distinct in Serena's head was the aftermath of Ash's first battle with the eighth gym leader of the Kalos League, Wulfric, in which he questioned just how skilled of a trainer he really was after a devastating loss. It was a side of Ash that Serena had never seen before, a side that she wanted to put away so that the boy she admired would come back. But her efforts resulted in furious outburst from Ash, leading to her snapping back and pummeling him with snowballs. In fact, she had never been more hurt in her life. And she had never cried over a boy before – she could have sworn that Ash looked shocked to see her like that, too.

But that was also when she realized she really did love him. She genuinely cared about what he thought, and when she was around him, all she wanted to do was make him happy, just like how he did for her. Whenever he was hurt, she was hurt. And now, after Ash triumphed over the League and proved his strength, she felt strong, too. She wasn't even the one who battled, but she still felt like she could do _anything_.

"Uh…Serena?"

Serena gently gasped and turned around to face a confused Bonnie. Sheepishly scratching her cheek, she replied, "Hi, Bonnie! What's up?"

"That's kinda what I wanna ask YOU," Bonnie said. "Are you okay? When I found you, you were just…staring at the ground."

Serena blinked a few times before giggling. "Yeah, I'm fine! Never felt better!"

And she really meant that.

* * *

 **I just realized I like to switch perspectives a lot...**

 **Not much action in this story yet, but you won't have to wait for much longer (assuming I make it before my self-imposed deadline, you'll have two months...). And next time, a certain trainer's gonna try stepping off a very cold mountain...**

 **Yes, I know Sun and Moon (both the games and the anime) have been out for a while. And yes, I know Ash lost the Kalos League in the anime. But this is a fanfic so I'm just gonna choose to ignore those events. So, there ya go.**

 **Thanks for reading and being patient! It honestly means a hell of a whole lot that there are people who are willing to read what I put out there!**


	4. Leaving

It was that time of the year. The most dangerous and treacherous season, the period of proving supremacy over all challengers, and claiming the greatest prize of all, the reward that would make the winner's legacy last for generations to come. Yes, indeed, it was time for the most ferocious war of all: mating season. With the harsh, rough climate of Mt. Silver as the battlefield, male Ursaring upon male Ursaring clashed in the hopes of impressing and convincing a female onlooker to choose him as a partner. The battles were what you would expect from such a competitive roster: Hammer Arms almost smashing skulls in, claws decorated with blood from near-lethal Slashes, battered bodies resulting from merciless Thrashes, among other things. Typical mating fervor.

One Ursaring in particular found himself with the worst luck in this year's "love competition." Having overslept, he arrived to the site of battle pretty late, at a time when most of the female Ursaring had already been claimed. For those few potential lovers that weren't already taken, he had to attempt to fight off the last combatants who also laid eyes on them. He fought with everything he had – which wasn't exactly much, considering he was still feeling groggy from his extended nap. It didn't end very well. Now our lonely Ursaring was scaling up the frozen slopes of the mountain, hoping desperately that he could find just one last maiden who wasn't already won over by some other contender. He had dreamt of this day ever since he was a little Teddiursa, and damn it, he was going to make it happen. Even if he had to go the very top of Mt. Silver just to find his destined one. Never mind how unlikely it was that any Ursaring – or for that matter, any creature – would be residing at the peak. He would, quite literally, go to any height to realize his dream.

It had been maybe almost an hour before our determined Ursaring had nearly reached the summit. He had searched every possible spot he could think of as he made his trek, and now that he was almost at the end of his path, he began to realize that it was hopeless. It looked like he would just have to wait until next year. If he could even wait that long. Stopping in front of a small cave, he let out an angry growl of frustration, furious at himself for messing up the most important day of his life.

Someone else growled after he did.

Ursaring's head shot up, his eyes wide. Could that have been…? He looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint just where that sound came from. A second growl rang through his ears, making him look straight into the cave. Ursaring roared in a bid to elicit what seemed to be a response to his presence. He waited, hopeful that the source of those growls was indeed his soulmate. A few more moments passed before, finally, a third growl echoed from the cave, followed by…a shot of water just barely falling short of reaching him. He blinked a few times before dashing into the cave. That shot of water certainly had to be a splash, an invitation for him to join his new female companion for a swim. He came to the end of the cave, expecting a pool of water and his soon-to-be mate floating over it, waiting for him.

What he got instead was some kind of strange, blue creature shorter than he was, odd sticks with holes protruding from what appeared to be a shell. And some kind of puny, thin rock formation next to it, just barely visible under the shadows. Ursaring stared blankly at what was presented to him, as the creature across from him turned its head, its brown eyes meeting with his, expressing some sort of…disappointment? Ursaring gawked for about five more seconds before transforming his face of bewilderment into one of ferocity. Seething with intense anger, he roared at the unfamiliar creature before him, for it had dashed all of his hopes of finding his new lover. It had baited him, made him into a fool, wasted his time – and it had the nerve to look disappointed at _him_? How dare it.

Claws at the ready, Ursaring charged at the blue creature, anxious to cut it deep with a swift and deadly Slash. He may have lost against the other males, but against some smaller clown like this, his power was more than enough. Locking eyes with his prey, he saw it turn its head to the rock formation. That only infuriated Ursaring even more; just who the hell did this thing he was, treating him like some insignificant insect? Ursaring roared once more, just a few moments away from unleashing his power…

The rock moved.

That alone made Ursaring stop dead in his tracks. Screeching to a halt, he, like the blue beast, turned his gaze toward that formation. Rocks aren't supposed to move like that. Unless…that rock with the arms? Or the rock serpent? No, it couldn't be either of those. It was too thin to be the former, and it was too short to be the latter. In any case, Ursaring shook off his shock and once again allowed his anger consume him. He prepared to assault the blue creature again, this time intending to strike the odd living rock next to it, as well. Just when he was but a few short feet away from making contact, he heard something along the lines of "Surf."

* * *

It had been three days since Ash won the title of Kalos League Champion. And three days of fans and the media swarming him whenever he stepped out of the Pokémon Center. In fact, just last night, he and the others planned to go out for dinner; they figured that there wouldn't be any crowd for him in the evening. Of course, they were wrong. Not a second after they stepped out, did dozens of people rush at them, desperate for autographs, pictures, and interviews.

"I'm getting real tired of this food, y'know," Bonnie whined to the others that night after they were forced to, what seemed like the tenth time, settle for the same old menu present at most Kalos Pokémon Centers.

Now it was the morning after – early in the morning – and the four trainers and their Pokémon were at last preparing to leave the site of the climactic finale of the Kalos League. Ash, Pikachu, and their fellow battlers still felt their victory to be a bit surreal. Even before the young trainer started his journey in Kanto all those years ago, he always boasted about how he would be the world's "greatest Pokémon master", and that enthusiasm pretty quickly rubbed off on all the Pokémon he caught over the years. Now, seven years later, after coming closer and closer to earning a Champion title, they had finally done it, and were closer to his life-long goal than ever before. And now…they weren't exactly sure where to go from there. What was next? Challenge another league? Travel the world?

"We better get going, Ash," Clemont said, snapping Ash and Pikachu back to reality. "Before any other mobs come chasing us. Besides, Serena and Bonnie are already waiting outside."

"Right, right. Sorry, let's go before the bus leaves," Ash agreed. He picked up his backpack and strapped it on, letting Pikachu climb up on his shoulder after doing so. Following Clemont out of their room and checking out of the Pokémon Center, Ash and Pikachu stepped outside, where Bonnie and Serena were waiting.

"What took ya so long?" Bonnie asked curiously.

Ash smiled sheepishly and lamely answered, "Sorry, that was on me. I was kinda…uh…daydreaming?"

"Huuuuh?! That's all?!"

"Bonnie, shush, before you wake anyone up!" Clemont warned his little sister, making her clasp her own mouth quickly.

"Is everything alright? Are you feeling okay?" Serena asked Ash, concern written on her face.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine!" the raven-haired trainer answered. "I was just thinking about what to do after we leave, that's all!"

Serena smiled, satisfied with her friend's answer, and nodded. "Well, let's get going! We should be able to read the bus stop in 15 minutes if we walk from here. I think we can catch the next bus before any more of your fangirls see us…"

"Uh, Serena? There aren't just girls in his fan club," Clemont piped up, noticing Serena's slight emphasis on the word "fangirl."

"What? I know that!" Serena stuttered in quick reply, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"You guys don't have to keep calling it a 'fan club', y'know," Ash interjected; he already had enough of that term ever since the first night of being Champion. "Anyway, how about we get going? We've already wasted enough time here." Pikachu jumped off his trainer's shoulder and ran up to the front of the group. " _Pika!_ " he declared while pointing ahead of himself, eager to leave before he got grabbed by some journalist for another "interview" (however that was going to work).

"Pikachu's right, let's get outta here already!" Bonnie exclaimed, running ahead of the others, prompting Clemont to chase after her before she got lost.

Serena looked back at Ash and smiled warmly at him. "Well, let's go, then." Ash blinked, then grinned and replied with a nod before following her and the Lumiose siblings' lead. "C'mon, buddy," Ash called to Pikachu as he and Serena walked on ahead. Pikachu stood still for a moment more until running to and jumping up Ash's shoulder again. He pouted a little bit; he kind of wanted to take the lead…

* * *

Ursaring stumbled back a few steps till his aching body finally gave in. After collapsing onto the ground, he managed to barely sit up and get a good look at his opponents again. That water-blasting behemoth, and that silent human, who only just barely spoke when directing that monster. Just _what were they?_ They fought in the perfect harmony of commander and soldier, every attack hitting precisely and fiercely, without question. That first wave of water alone was enough to catch Ursaring off guard with its power, but blinded by his fury, he kept trying to leave some kind of scars on the enemies that stood before him. And with every attempt, his health only dwindled more as he kept getting pushed back by every force that came from those two. Now, he just couldn't take anymore. He knew he had no chance of winning. He looked at the shelled beast on the other side of the cave, and made out two more gushes of water forming in those blasters. The panting Ursaring closed his eyes, bracing for impact…

He heard the shots splashing on the ground, and opened his eyes. The water fell short of reaching him again. He looked up at the pair of fighters, bewildered. The human, without speaking a word, pierced Ursaring with his gaze and pointed at the cave entrance. At first the Hibernator Pokémon wasn't sure what was trying to be conveyed. But then he thought back to before he walked into the cave, when that first shot of water came out of it. He remembered how the shellfish creature looked at him disappointedly before the battle started. He looked at the puddle of water in front of him. And then it clicked. The first surge of water wasn't a fake invitation designed to mess with him like he previously thought.

That was a _warning._ All of these were. A warning not to step inside of the cave, a warning that he had already messed up and he shouldn't try anything else, and now a warning to get out of there. Ursaring growled quietly at himself, cursing his own rashness. The only one he could blame for getting so beat up was himself. He should have just left the moment he saw that it wasn't a female Ursaring…

In any case, he wasn't going to fight on anymore. His pride wasn't worth any more pain. So the brown-furred Pokémon, with whatever strength he had left, got up on two feet again, giving one last look to the duo – whom, if he wasn't mistaken, seemed just the slightest bit concerned – before turning his back to them and limping out of the cave. The chill of the mountaintop hit him the moment he stepped outside, sending shivers down his spine. Though normally his thick coat of fur protected him from the cold, that battle drenched his entire body with water, making him vulnerable to Mt. Silver's biting snow.

" _Gro-ooough?"_

Ursaring's ears twitched. That sound, could it have been…? No. He wasn't going to fool himself again. He learned his lesson, and there was no way that a female Ursaring was calling to him. Probably just the wind. Just like what sounded like footsteps against the layers of snow on the ground. And a gentle paw on his arm.

Wait, what? He turned his head to the right, and his eyes were met with the loving twinkle of a female's. She tenderly groaned at him, like she finally found someone she was looking for. He returned the same expression to her, and he felt all of his pain succumb to overwhelming joy. She took his paw and led him away from the mountaintop, in search of a more comfortable place. He growled contently; his luck wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Finally, that little squabble was over. Good thing, too. He wasn't sure how much that Ursaring could take. After patting Blastoise's shell, he reached into his yellow backpack and pulled out a blue spray bottle. This potion was the reason he called out the cannon-wielding Pokémon in the first place. He sprayed its contents onto his trusted partner, who smiled in satisfaction. It's not like Blastoise was hurt very badly; in fact, the potion was just for a scratch that hadn't completely healed from the prior day's training. But it's better to be fully fixed up than almost fixed up. Especially now that they were leaving.

He had chosen Mt. Silver as a training spot so long ago because of how brutal and rough it was. Its blistering cold, hostile terrain, and powerful Pokémon; not even Cerulean Cave promised all three of those at the same time. True, he was admittedly worried when he first set foot on the summit, not for his own safety, but for his friends, his partners. Yet he didn't turn back, because he believed in them. And his trust was not misplaced, as the mountain proved to be fruitful for his team's growth.

But now there was no need to be there. They had surpassed the limits hurled at them. They conquered Mt. Silver. The challenge that was provided there no longer existed, and if they lingered there any longer, they would just be wasting time. Besides, it would be best for the wild Pokémon around them if they got out of there. After all, there was no need to hurt anyone else like that Ursaring.

After putting on his backpack, he brought out Blastoise's Poké Ball and returned him inside of it, simultaneously bringing out another Poké Ball and releasing Charizard from it. The Flame Pokémon looked back at its trainer, who rubbed his neck affectionately. Snorting in comfort, Charizard allowed his long-time friend to climb up his back. After walking out of the cave, he unleashed a mighty roar one last time at the snowy mountaintop before lifting off into the air. He flapped his wings and hovered for a while, waiting for his trainer to point him in a direction. The black-haired young man pondered for a second, then pointed east. Charizard steered himself and took off, neither of them flinching once at the mighty winds pushing against their high speed.

* * *

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum, Kalos League Champion!" Delia Ketchum just couldn't get tired of saying that. She had called everyone she knew in Pallet Town (which is to say, most if not all of its residents), making it a point to include the title bestowed upon her son in every conversation. Of course, word had already spread quickly about the young Kanto native's victory over Diantha, but to her, what news that other people heard didn't count unless they heard it from her mouth. Excitement and pride had taken her over, and it seemed that they would not let go of her for a while.

"I heard, Delia," a soft and warm woman's voice replied on the other line. "You must be beyond thrilled right now."

"I've already started planning his victory party!" Delia exclaimed happily. "We can't fit everyone in this little old house, so we'll be holding it at Professor Oak's. Oh, won't he be surprised when he sees everyone waiting for him!"

"His Pokémon will be happy, too," the woman on the other line continued the conversation. "Are you inviting anyone out of town?"

"Yes! Brock and Misty hopefully won't be too busy, May and Dawn will probably be able to make it now that contest season is over, and…"

"My, my. It looks like you've already got the entire guest list planned."

Delia smirked. As a matter of fact, a guest list was indeed sitting on the counter next to her. "You'll be coming too, won't you?"

"I'll be there, hopefully. Little Ash…it seems like it wasn't too long ago that he was just a little tyke playing around with all the Pokémon at Professor Oak's. My, how time flies…"

"Oh, Rose, you haven't seen Ash since the day before he left on his journey. Wait until you see how much he's grown!" Delia couldn't help but giggle a little.

"I can imagine," the woman named Rose chuckled at her old friend's silliness. "Kids grow up in the blink of an eye, don't they?"  
"Oh, don't they? I still remember how innocent your little boy was when he started off and got Charmand—"

Delia shut her mouth before she could finish. An awkward silence loomed over the line. She mentally cursed herself, slowly rubbing her forehead in self-frustration. She had gotten too excited over her son's victory and growth, and in her bliss, forgot how sensitive of a topic she just touched was. This had to be patched up quickly. "Rose, I'm sorry, I—"

"…Right. All boys leave home someday," Rose gently interrupted. "It said so on TV," she added with a quiet laugh, albeit with a tinge of sadness behind it. Delia was at a loss for words.

"Then, I'll see you in a few days?" Rose attempted to lighten the mood a bit before the call was over.

"Oh, y-yes," Delia replied. "It'll be great to have you there."

"I'm looking forward to it. Take care, Delia."

"Take care…"

Beeping sounded through Delia's phone. Rose had hung up – rather quickly, too. She sighed as she also hung up and put the phone down. What was delight a minute ago turned into worry and regret. The brunette looked out the window wearily. It really had been too long since Rose had seen him. Actually, it had been too long since _any_ of them saw him. Delia could closely relate to how her companion must have felt. She experienced the sudden disappearance of a loved one, too. But, the departure of a husband was one thing. Somehow, she had a feeling that the departure of a son was so much worse…

* * *

 **Last chapter I said you wouldn't have to wait long. I said you'd only have to wait two months! Damn. I suck.**

 **Sorry guys. I underestimated all the time that college took up, and I've also always had a nasty habit of procrastination that I've been trying to break for a while now. In any case...I'm happy I finally got this next chapter out for you readers.**

 **For some reason I kinda enjoyed writing this one, especially the last scene with Delia and Rose. It's kinda fascinating to me the way mothers are shown in Pokemon, especially the games. They kinda just...Let the player go, y'know. You gotta feel for 'em. They barely have time to properly raise their children before they go out and do the whole journey thing. I can only imagine how it must feel to have the kid only rarely return home after starting off...Sorry. Rambling here. By the way, I put in a classic line in that scene. It should be fairly obvious to long-time Pokemon players.**

 **Also, just in case it was really vague: the "rock with the arms" and the "rock serpent" that Ursaring thinks of are Geodude (or Graveler or Golem) and Onix, respectively.**

 **That's about all I gotta say here. I'd tell you when to expect the next chapter, but we saw how well that turned out last time. But I'm still gonna write it! And it WILL come! I'm not giving up on this thing!**

 **Thanks, guys. Really. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Reunions

"Huuuuuh?! Only that long?!"

"Bonnie, please lower your voice…"

"But a week isn't enough to explore Kanto!"

"We weren't planning on exploring much of Kanto anyway, we need to get back to Lumiose and the gym at some point…"

"Can't Clembot take care of it?!"

Ash and Pikachu stood watching Clemont and Bonnie bickering with each other in front of the video phone, the screen of which displayed their father Meyer chuckling awkwardly. Ears twitching, Pikachu turned around and saw a few onlookers at the gate similarly observing the blonde siblings with a mix of amusement and annoyance. The electric mouse sighed in mild embarrassment. Those two really were making quite a ruckus…

Ash turned his gaze to Serena, who was talking to her mom Grace, also via video phone, though her conversation was much quieter and – by the looks of things – pleasant. His three friends were telling their parents about their plans to travel with him to Kanto and celebrate his victory, and evidently, there was a big difference between the exchanges. While both Meyer and Grace had already agreed with their children that they could go with Ash beforehand, only Serena's mother had worked out with the performer an agreement that it would be a week-long stay. Clemont, on the other hand, forgot to negotiate that with his father and sister, and now the disappointed Bonnie tried to whine her way to securing a longer trip, much to Meyer's exasperation, although he tried his best not to show it. Looking around the airport gate, it was obvious that Meyer wasn't the only one getting tired of his children's arguing.

"Are they done?" Serena asked as she walked up to Ash. "Even my mom could hear them on the other line ." She frowned at her other two companions as she said this.

"Doesn't look like they plan on stopping anytime soon, no," Ash replied to the brunette. "But maybe she's gonna do it for them."

Serena and Pikachu turned to where Ash was pointing, and saw a purple-haired, violet-eyed flight attendant in a white dress shirt with a brown vest over it, a similarly brown knees-length skirt below it. She made her way over to Clemont and Bonnie and lightly tapped the former on the shoulder.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to keep it down," she told Clemont as he turned to face her. "You're disturbing passengers and personnel."

Clemont looked past the flight attendant and saw all eyes on them, many of them narrowed. "Oh!" he gasped. "I-I'm so sorry!" Clemont bowed in apology. "We didn't mean to—!" He stopped mid-sentence upon noticing Bonnie get down on one knee and hold a hand out to the young woman in front of them.

"Would you…" Bonnie started, eyes sparkling, "…be my brother's?" She beamed at the confused flight attendant, when her brother grabbed her by the shirt collar and dragged her away. "HEY!"

"Why do you keep doing that," Clemont growled, "you know how much I hate it…We're sorry!" He bowed once again. "We're just about done!" The purple-haired attendant blinked a couple of times before nodding and walking off.

"What'd you go and do that for?!" Bonnie protested. "She was perfect, pretty face, nice voice, curvy figure…"

"BONNIE!" Both Clemont and Meyer hissed at her, bright blushes spread across their faces.

"Didn't she say that you need to quiet down?" Serena walked up to them, Ash and Pikachu following closely behind. "You'll get kicked out if you keep this up."

Bonnie looked up at Serena, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes. If Serena was saying that they were loud, then it must have been true. "Sorry," Bonnie muttered, looking down.

"What's the problem, anyway?" Ash piped up. "You've been talking to each other for a while now. It can't be that hard to figure out how long you're staying, right?" At this, Serena gently elbowed Ash's arm in disapproval, causing him to look at her in confusion. "What was that for?"

" _Pika-Pi…_ " Pikachu shook his head in exasperation at his best friend's denseness. Even he knew that was rude…

"But it is hard!" Bonnie protested. "Clemont wants to stay for a week, but that's barely any time at all!"

"We told you, Bonnie," Clemont interrupted, "that I should really start getting back to the gym. Clembot can't take care of it forever, even he needs a break. It's honestly risky enough that I'm delaying going back by another week."

"The whole reason you made Clembot in the first place was so that you didn't have to spend so much time running the gym!"

"That's true, and that was selfish enough of me. The least I can do to repay Clembot is go back in a week and do my part as Gym Leader of Lumiose."

"C-Clemont…" a deep voice softly cried.

The two blondes turned to face the screen, seeing their father tearing up, making them sweat-drop in embarrassment.

"CLEMONT, MY BOY!" Meyer outburst. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" The tears he had been holding back streamed down his face while he bawled in what was apparently immense pride for his son's declaration. The brown-haired electrician bounced upon the screen, hugging it and rubbing his face on it.

"Daddy!" Bonnie hushed intensely. "What's the matter with you?! You're embarrassing yourself – and us! And stop doing that, you'll break your screen!"

"Dad, it's really not that big of a deal…" Clemont started.

"IT'S A HUGE DEAL!" Meyer interrupted, his voice still shaky. "Oh, how you've grown up, I knew you going on this journey would turn you into a great young man! You're a true gym leader, one I'm so proud to call my own!"

"Th-Thanks…" the boy genius stuttered, still taken aback by his father's behavior. He wasn't sure if he could ever get used to that…

Serena giggled, amused at the scene playing out before her. "That's kind of cute. Isn't it, Ash? Pikachu?"

" _Pika-Chu-Pi!_ " Pikachu nodded in agreement, although he found Meyer's violation of his screen to be more hilarious than cute, evident by how he was trying to stifle his laughter.

"I guess," Ash shrugged indifferently, a sharp contrast to the other two's reactions. Pikachu and Serena looked at him, mildly confused. That wasn't really the response they were expecting, especially from an enthusiastic and warm person like him.

Bonnie sighed in defeat. "I guess this means that's that, huh?"

"Bonnie," Meyer replied, finally pulling back from the screen and wiping his tears, "Listen to your brother. He holds the responsibility of one of Kalos' greatest trainers, the Lumiose Gym Leader. And he needs to work hard to keep that."

"Yes, sir…"

"And after all…aren't you going to be a trainer like him?"

Bonnie looked up at the screen when her father asked that. The expression on her face had turned from heavy-lidded and disappointed to wide-eyed and hopeful. Anything to do with her future as a trainer could change her mood in a heartbeat. Eyes glimmering, she stared for a few more moments before slowly nodding.

"That's my girl," Meyer declared proudly, though his voice was wavering. Seemed like he was on the verge of crying again. Clemont noticed this and decided to quickly end the call before any more thundering outbursts got them kicked off the flight. "Well, then, see you in a week, dad."

"R-right…Have a good trip, you two!"

"Bye, daddy," Bonnie sung as she waved to her father. Meyer nodded and flashed a merry smile before hanging up.

"Man, your dad sure gets emotional real quick," Ash remarked, earning another shove from Serena, this time accompanied by a small shock from Pikachu. "What's wrong with you two?!"

Bonnie shrugged. "He's not wrong, y'know," she added, shaking her head. "I still remember how crazy he got over Clemont's first crus—"

"Funny you should say that, Ash," Clemont broke in, clasping a hand over his little sister's mouth ("What are you doing, lemme go, lemme go!" she exclaimed in muffled shouts). "Your mom seemed a bit too excited herself, if you remember."

Ash looked at Clemont and thought back to the call he had with his mother earlier. True, she did seem more giddy than usual when he told her that he'd be coming home soon. Not that she was never happy when her son came back, but what was new were her occasional giggles and higher voice throughout the chat.

"Aw, c'mon," Bonnie piped up. "Ash's mommy was nothing compared to how daddy acts!"

Clemont opened his mouth to respond, when an announcement rang through the gate: "Attention, passengers. Boarding for Steel Wing Skarmory flight #227 will now commence. Please step up to the check-in in a single-file line, and have your boarding passes ready."

" _Pika!_ " Pikachu jumped up Ash's shoulder and pointed to the line beginning to form at the check-in.

"Yeah, we gotcha," Ash reassured. He turned back to the rest of his friends. "Better get going."

Serena nodded. "Yeah, before anyone recognizes you, champ," she replied with a wink, causing a small blush to appear on Ash's face.

"Off to Kanto, we go!" Bonnie cried, running over to the line.

"Bonnie, don't run!" Clemont called, scurrying after her. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu followed, slight frowns on their faces. This situation looked familiar…

* * *

"Bulbasaur, could you be a dear and help Doug hang the banner? Nancy, give those trays to Infernape before you drop them! Heracross! Stop going after that sap and help out!"

Professor Oak watched as Delia Ketchum took charge and directed Pallet residents and Ash's Pokémon in setting up for the new Champion's welcome party. It had been four hours, but his former student still hadn't taken a break. Instead she continued to walk throughout the entire Oak vicinity, making sure that everything was going according to plan, intervening whenever she found work that was not to her liking. Humans and Pokémon alike would tire out in all the work, whether it was heavy lifting, putting up decorations, preparing food, cleaning up, or whatever else needed to be done. Which is why they could only stare in awe at Ash's mother, who worked relentlessly, seemingly without breaking a sweat. The professor understood their shock; indeed, some of them were seasoned battlers who could dish out and take significant damage. But evidently, setting up parties was a different sort of battlefield.

Then again, this was for her son, her little boy who had become one of the strongest trainers in the world. And, in a way, that was a fulfillment of her own dream. When she was a young girl studying under Oak, she had her sights on becoming a Pokémon trainer (and a model, something that the researcher couldn't educate her in). She always talked about how she would travel through Kanto, challenging all the gyms and even the Elite Four, and become the Indigo League Champion before setting her sights on the rest of the world. It was a goal she was determined to see through. Oak remembered how closely she would observe his research; the many battles she took part in with the Pokémon in his care; the long hours staying up to read up on Pokémon care and battle strategies.

Then a certain trainer came along, married her quickly, gave her Ash, and left just as quickly.

Oh, how Delia continued to defend her husband despite him essentially walking out on his family. She would say that moving quickly was the nature of a Pokémon trainer; that he got it from his own father, who likewise hadn't returned home to pursue a career as a trainer. That neither of them could come back until they had accomplished something to prove their worth.

"That's all a load of shit," the lab aides would whisper amongst themselves when she was out of earshot. And as much as he hated to admit it, Oak had to agree. Coming in like that, giving Delia a child and leaving before he was even born, was inexcusable. The professor wondered if that man even knew the name of his son.

Oak's look of astonishment turned into one of regret as he remembered all this. He couldn't help but think that he should have done something to stop him from leaving. It was because of that trainer that Delia had to abandon her dreams. After all, with a child in her care, there was no way she could go on a journey of her own. So she took over her mother's old restaurant (and the only restaurant in town), Pallet House. The essentially single mother worked on her own, doing both the cooking and the serving for the customers, while she left Ash in the professor's care until her shift was over. And no matter how tired she got, how much trouble customers gave, or how deprived of her son she was, she rarely took any rest. The only thing she had on her mind was making sure she could support herself and Ash.

Eventually, Delia had made enough money that she could afford to hire workers, and later on, a new house. Finally, she was able to balance taking care of Ash and working the restaurant. Not to mention, she finally became able to relax and take a few vacations here and there. But even then, she did whatever she could to ensure her raven-haired child's well-being and growth into a respectable trainer. She taught him whatever she remembered from the professor's tutelage, sent him off to classes at the local school, and even let him play with the Pokémon at the lab. In all likelihood, she probably wanted to pass her dream on to her son. After Ash started his quest, his mother always made sure to keep track of whatever accomplishments she had heard from him. She may have had a funny way of showing it sometimes, but the pride she felt in Ash was unbounded. How hard she worked on this party was proof of that.

"Professor, what are you doing just sitting there?"

Oak was snapped back to reality by Delia's shrill wake-up call. He blinked, then laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just reminiscing. An achievement like your son's calls for such things!"

The auburn-haired woman frowned, pointing a finger at him. "Reminiscing won't make Ash feel good when he comes back! Please, professor, you know how important this is to us!"

"I know, I know," he replied. "You're right. I'll get back to work—"

"Professor Oak!" Tracey ran up to his teacher, who turned around to face him. "Sorry to interrupt, but you have a visitor! She's waiting out front!"

"A visitor? Odd, I'm not expecting anybody…" the elderly man wondered aloud, stroking his chin. After a few moments, he looked at Delia apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I better take this. It could be important…"

She sighed and nodded. "Please don't take long, Professor. We need all the help we can get."

Oak nodded back at her, then walked with Tracey back inside the lab. He could only hope that the set-up would be finished sooner than later; Arceus knew she needed some rest…

After navigating past the lab aides and Machoke carrying tables, the boxes full of party supplies, and whoever was sitting on the floor just trying to catch a break, the Professor reached the front door of his lab, which was only slightly open. Grasping the handle and pushing the door open, he started apologetically, "Hello, I'm so sorry for taking long, things are a bit busy around here…"

"Yes, I bet. Sitting around fiddling with that Pokedex must be tiring, right?"

The Professor gawked at the elderly graying-haired woman in a purple dress, supporting herself with a wooden cane. Her black eyes pierced his, and she bore a condescending smirk, most likely directed at his shock. "Agatha?" He finally spoke, although his voice was still shaky from the surprise that stood at his doorstep.

"Hmph," she grunted. "I come all the way out here, and you can't even be bothered to let me inside. You always were a rude little snot."

"W-wh-what?" Oak stuttered. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, please come in. Watch your step." He held the door open for Agatha, who limped at a leisurely pace inside.

"And, just what the hell's going on here?" she asked upon seeing all the work taking place in the residence of the Pallet researcher.

Oak chuckled nervously. "Sorry, we're all setting up for a party," he explained. "I only wish I knew that you were comi—"

"Party?" the old spunky woman turned her head. "What, don't tell me you're throwing a retirement party for lil' old me?"

"Retirement party…?" Oak repeated Agatha's words, confused. "Wait a moment…Agatha, you're retiring from the Elite Four?!"

"Oh, Samuel," the aged trainer scoffed. "Stop acting so surprised. I've been going along with this gig for thirty-two years, now."

"Agatha, I would hardly say that you're getting too old…"

"Ah, come off it, you coot. The others in our Elite Four are in their twenties or thirties. I'm a fossil compared to them all."

"But what about your older sister Bertha? She's still in Sinnoh's Elite Four—"

"That woman doesn't have to worry about this holding her back, in case you haven't noticed…" She eyed her cane.

At first, Samuel Oak didn't have a reply for that. True, the ghost-type user's strength and joints had weakened earlier than she – and he, for that matter – expected. And having to stand around waiting for challengers to come by probably didn't make it any easier. But then another thought rang in his mind….

"But Agatha," he said. "Pokémon battling is something that you could technically do while sitting down, no matter how fierce it may be—"

"For a guy who studies relationships between humans and Pokémon, you sure are a clueless bastard, aren't you?"

Oak was taken aback at her retort. Out of all the things that could come out of her mouth, that was the last thing he had expected. Truth be told, he wasn't very used to anyone insulting his knowledge or work. At least, not after all these years. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, he finally found his voice and replied. "Excuse me?"

"For Pete's sake," Agatha muttered as she shook her head in disappointment. "Always thought your research was a big waste of time. But for you to forget the damn basics in all that…"

"Agatha, just what are you implying?" A hint of anger could be heard in Oak's voice as he spoke.

The Ghost-type user smirked. "Oh, don't worry about it. We can't help it if you've become as soft as lil' Eevee's fur, right?" Her grin widened upon seeing her former rival's rage showing itself on his face. "Then again…even an Eevee would probably be too much for you to handle now…"

Oak didn't even try to control his scowl. "See here, Agatha—"

"Well, I better get going. Wouldn't want to interrupt your tea party here." She limped past him, making her way to the front door. "Oh, and try not to hurt yourself playing with your Pokedex…"

"How about a battle?"

Agatha turned her head to meet Oak's fiery, determined, black eyes. That glare he sent her way – a glare she was all too familiar with after facing countless trainers – made her lips curl in satisfaction. "I thought you'd never ask."

The otherwise warm professor simply stuck out his right hand and motioned for her to follow his lead. He turned around and walked back out to the corral, Agatha a few feet behind him. As they went, the many others on the way caught glimpses of the cold expression on the normally kind old man. The Pallet residents were a bit uncomfortable at this drastic change in demeanor, but that didn't stifle their curiosity. Besides, some of them recognized Agatha, the chilling yet hot-tempered oldest member of Kanto's Elite Four. Whatever this was about had to be interesting.

Agatha snickered at the crowd of humans and Pokémon beginning to form behind her. She figured that these young unassuming folks never saw their beloved Professor Oak battle, let alone against a top Pokémon League trainer. Her opponent, on the other hand, seemed to not care about the spectators; his eyes were focused only straight ahead.

Tracey caught sight of his teacher and waved to him. "Professor!" he called out. "Mrs. Ketchum and I wanted to know where you keep the…forks…" His voice died out when he saw the sullen look on Oak's face, as well as everyone following behind him.

"Clear the way, Tracey," was all that Oak said in response.

Agatha looked at the crowd behind her. "You kids better give us some room, too. Unless you're all a bunch of masochists…" They all slowed their pace upon hearing this, as to give the duo in front of them adequate room for what they could only assume was a bout between the two.

" _Saur?_ " Bulbasaur stopped his work of hanging up decorations when he noticed all of the commotion. " _Bulba! Bulbasaur!_ " He nudged Delia's leg to get her attention.

"What's the matter, Bulbasaur?" Delia looked down at her son's Pokémon, who pointed with a vine protruding from his bulb at the scene taking place near the lab building. She stared at her former instructor as he took his stance on the right of what looked like an impromptu battlefield. "What in the world…?"

Agatha similarly took a stance on the other side of the field, resting both of her hands on her cane. "How's one-on-one sound, you old duff?"

"Fine by me," Oak agreed, pulling out a Pokéball from his lab coat pocket, causing murmurs among the audience that now surrounded them.

"Wow! He's really doing it!"

"But that's Agatha from the Elite Four!"

"Has he even battled before?"

"Why's he so _mad_ about it?"

"Looks like my hunch was right," Agatha spoke, a triumphant smirk on her face. "You've gotten so soft that people haven't even seen you battle…"

"Send out your Pokémon," Oak responded. "Neither of us are getting any older."

Some of the crowd gasped at their beloved professor's harsh retort. But Agatha only smiled, in what seemed to be some sort of sick…excitement?

"This will sound corny," she said as she lifted her right hand from the top of her cane, revealing her own Pokéball on it. "But dear Mew, does this feel like old times." With her left hand still on the cane, she pressed upon the Pokéball and released the creature inside it, said creature being a rounded, dark purple Pokémon about as tall as her, with spikes protruding from its back. Its red eyes with black pupils glared maliciously, complimented by its wide, sinister grin and large ears, pointed diagonally at the sky in opposite directions.

"Starting off with a Gengar as usual, I see," Oak remarked. "Then I'll go with…" He threw his Pokéball into the battlefield, a red light bursting out of it, covering some sort of figure. When the light disappeared, another purple (though a lighter shade than Gengar) pocket monster stood on all fours. It had large and spiky ears, a long snout with two fangs pointing down from its upper jaw, a row of spines on its back, and a menacing, pointed horn. When it spotted its opponent, it narrowed its black eyes and snarled fiercely, prompting a mocking raspberry from the Ghost-and-Poison Pokémon.

"Nidorino?" Agatha groaned in exasperation. "Couldn't even bother to evolve it into a Nidoking? Some professor you are, a part-Ground type would make it a lot harder on me…"

"We don't need any Ground-type moves to win, Agatha." The steely nerve in Oak's voice made Nidorino similarly growl in determination.

"Oh?" The amused tone of her voice was followed by a wicked grin when she saw the twitch on her opponent's face. "I guess we'll see, won't we?"

"…Tracey. Referee, please."

"Wh—" Tracey was caught by surprise at this sudden request (and for that matter, his teacher's acknowledgement of anything else around the battlefield). "I-..Right, right away, professor!" He hurried over to the side of the two trainers, still standing in between a side of spectators. "This is, er, a one-on-one? Right, a one-on-one battle, between Samuel Oak of Pallet Town, and Agatha of the Elite Four! The battle ends when one side gives up or is unable to continue! Are the trainers and their Pokémon ready?"

"Ready,"/" _Nnraagh_ ," Oak and Nidorino confirmed.

"You bet,"/" _Giiingh…_ " Agatha and Gengar agreed.

"Then…" Tracey raised his arms up. "You may begin!"

"Gengar, hit him with a Shadow Punch!"

Still with a toothy grin on his face, Gengar pulled his stubby arm back, a misty purple aura surrounding his fist. He jumped at Nidorino, getting ready to strike as he was but a few inches away…

"Dodge it!"

Nidorino's ears twitched when he heard Oak's command, almost immediately jumping back to avoid the fist that was headed straight for him. But "almost" wasn't good enough; he was punched straight on the snout, making him slam back into the ground, an aura the same as Gengar's surrounding the spot where he was hit for a brief second before dissipating.

"Nidorino!" Oak cried. "Are you okay?!" His Pokémon stood on all fours again and snorted, indicating that he could go on.

"Maybe you should retire too, old duff!" Agatha called to him. "You've gotten pretty slow in your reactions. I can't imagine how slow you are in your research…" That last insult prompted a few mutters of shock from the spectators; they never heard anyone talk to their dear professor like that. Such a fact made the elderly Ghost-type user smirk once more as she relished the response to her brazen statement.

Her moment of distraction was just what Oak needed. "Confusion!"

"What?!"

Nidorino's normally black eyes glowed a bright blue, corresponding to Gengar being lifted a few inches off the ground and being hit by a small, but precise, telekinetic force that made his belly jiggle and sent him back onto the ground, bottoms-first.

"Damn," Agatha growled. "Let myself get carried away… Wasn't expecting you to hit against Gengar's double-weakness! Not bad, ya coot!"

"But, I thought Nidorino couldn't learn Confusion?" one of the audience members asked, prompting similar sounds of bewilderment around him.

"It's possible," Delia answered, making everyone else look at her. "If one of its parents knows it."

"Hah," Agatha chuckled, also hearing the brunette's answer, "mom or dad's a Slowbro?"

"Perhaps," Oak replied coolly.

"Figures you bred it. Oi, Gengar! What are you doing still lazing around?! Get up!"

" _Giing…"_ the Shadow Pokémon shakily stood up, dizzy and wobbling around.

"Aw, shit. Got him confused on the first shot…Snap out of it! Use Psychic on that thing!"

At first, it seemed that Gengar heard his trainer, as the reds in his eyes glowed a bright purple, similar to what Nidorino had just done – only with much more intensity…

"Nidorino! Watch ou—" Oak's warning stopped short when he saw Gengar fall on its back, holding its head in pain and prompting another swear from Agatha. He smiled confidently and called out to his opponent, "Maybe retiring IS a good idea, you've clearly lost your touch!"

Now it was Agatha's turn to scowl. "You really want to get pummeled to the ground, don't you?"

"By the looks of things, that's not how this will play out. Nidorino! Shadow Claw!"

"Are you _kidding me_?!" Agatha screeched as she could only watch Nidorino's six front claws were covered in a misty, ghoulish, purple aura. He sprinted over at Gengar, who was only just getting up from hurting himself in confusion.

" _NRAAAGH!"_ Nidorino roared as he jumped up and slashed down upon poor Gengar, who fell to the ground once again, this time face-first, the misty aura from the Shadow Claw staying near his head for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Gengar! Get up! You can't go down like this!" Agatha pleaded to her comrade, refusing to let the battle end after only getting one hit on Oak's Pokémon.

The audience by this point were making no effort to hush their voices; they gasped and talked amongst themselves with no restraint, stupefied by what they just saw.

"Shadow Claw, too? I didn't even think any of the poison-pin Pokémon could learn that!"

"I thought Gengar had the advantage, but he's actually getting _beat_ out there!"

"Is Shadow Claw a move you can breed for, too?!"

That last question made almost everyone look at Delia, expecting some kind of answer from her. But this time, she couldn't give them one; she, too, was stunned at what she just saw, evidenced by her open mouth and wide eyes. Tracey likewise stared at the two contenders and their Pokémon. After all his time working with the Professor, not once did he see any research or findings that Nidorino could learn Shadow Claw – but wait. He thought about it, digging into the back of his mind for some sort of memory…Yes, the Professor said something in passing a few years ago…

"Technical Machines?" Tracey said out loud, making the spectators turn their attention to him instead; including Agatha, who grunted in frustration.

"Can't believe I forgot about those things," she muttered. "Before those liberal activists lobbied us to get rid of 'em, they were a staple of training…"

Seeing his opponent's distraction, Oak seized the opportunity by calling out to Nidorino, "another Shadow Claw!" He grinned proudly as Nidorino sprinted once more to Gengar, that ghoulish aura visible to all as he jumped and prepared to strike…

"Shadow Ball!"

Agatha's shrill cry made Gengar roll over onto his back, almost immediately forming a violet ball of energy, pink sparks fiercely cracking around it. He held it up in front of him, just in time for it to meet Nidorino's Shadow Claw. The two attacks struggled with each other before a small explosion cancelled both of them out, the force of which sent the quadruped Pokémon back into the air. Nidorino landed on all-fours, while Gengar bounced back up, evidently cured of his confusion.

"You alright, Gengar?!" Agatha called out to her Pokémon, nodding when he raised his arm to signal that he could go on fighting. "Then show that lil' punk who's boss! Get your own Shadow Claw ready!"

Gengar raised his open hand up, allowing the ghostly energy that everyone watching had become familiar with to surround his three claws. As it did, it grinned devilishly at his opponent, letting a mocking _"Gingh…"_ escaping from his mouth. But far from being scared, Nidorino only growled before shrieking back _"Nragh!"_

"Dodge, Nidorino!"

"Let 'im have it!"

Both Pokémon reacted in time with their trainers' commands; but unfortunately for Agatha, Oak spoke faster. As Gengar swiped his claw down, Nidorino jumped back, just narrowly dodging the attack. The horned beast hopped back and forth, readying himself for his next attack. Oak smiled proudly at his companion, before giving his order.

"Use Shadow Claw!"

Nidorino shook slightly in preparation before leaping into the air towards Gengar, roaring with ferocity, his glowing claws pointed right at the Ghost-type…

"Psychic!"

Those crimson eyes glowed a bright purple once again; and this time, it wasn't a fluke. Gengar snickered maliciously as he stopped Nidorino in mid-air, making the Poison-type shake about violently for freedom, to no avail. Oak gasped as his Pokémon was surrounded by a violet cloak, which seemed to intensify the pain Nidorino was going through. "Quickly, use Prote—"

"Slam him down!"

Gengar raised his short arms up, then quickly lowered them to his sides; as he did so, Nidorino similarly was raised a few inches into the air, then brought crashing down into the ground, the force of which made some of the spectators jump from its power. Oak cursed himself for his delay; he knew Agatha would command Gengar to do that, so he wanted Nidorino to use Protect to cushion the fall. If only he spoke a second sooner…

The glow in Gengar's eyes vanished, as did the color around Nidorino, who was slowly beginning to get back up; indeed, despite his shaking legs, bruised body, and tired eyes, he let out a soft growl, determined to continue the battle.

"Well I'll be," Agatha remarked with a raised eyebrow. "I'll give you this much, Oak, your little monster sure doesn't give up…"

"Nidorino…?" Oak whispered.

The two Pokémon faced each other silently, the audience mirroring the tense quiet. Tracey's eyes moved back and forth from Gengar to Nidorino; Delia clasped her hands in anxiousness; Bulbasaur started intently; all of the spectators were waiting for what the next move would be…

" _Nighh.."_ Nidorino couldn't support himself any longer; closing his eyes, he collapsed to the ground, surrendering to his wounds and breathing steadily to recover.

"Nidorino," Tracey finally spoke up, "is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner is Gengar, and his trainer, Agatha of the Elite Four!"

Agatha simply snickered and walked over to her Gengar, who was laughing heartily in the glory of his victory, and patted his head. "Well done, ya crazy joker," she muttered affectionately.

Oak, on the other hand, ran over to his fallen Nidorino and picked him up. "Well done, Nidorino…" he whispered as he gently petted his back, earning a few growls of satisfaction from the purple battler.

"Agreed," Agatha piped in as she and Gengar strode over to the pair. Oak looked up at her, a mix of confusion and frustration in his eyes, making her hold her head and shake it in exasperation. "Ah, c'mon, you geezer. I'm being honest here! Battles at the League are great and all, but it's been so long since an old-school fight like that, we couldn't help but enjoy the whole damn thing. That's the whole reason I had to coax you into battling me in the first place…" She glanced at Gengar, who nodded in agreement, grinning widely.

"I…Come again?" Oak replied; now it was only confusion that clouded his eyes.

"Geez, for a professor, you sure can be dense… Of course I kept talking all that crap about ya. It was the only way to fire you up and gimme a real battle like the ol' days. That's why I decided to come all the way out to your little playroom here. Using damned technical machines… no one's got the balls to do that anymore, but you showed how exciting those kinds of things can still be. As you can see…" Agatha turned her gaze to the Pallet residents, who were talking excitedly with each other over how they hadn't seen a fierce battle like that in the flesh, and even how they didn't know their beloved professor was capable of such battle prowess. Oak could only blink in surprise at them, before turning to Agatha again, who chuckled at his reaction. "It was a good battle." She held out her hand to her old friend.

"…Yes," Oak finally spoke, a soft smile on his face. He took Agatha's hand and shook it firmly, finally cleared of all his rage, frustration, and confusion. Tracey looked on and beamed at his mentor. Delia shared a similar expression towards the two, before…

"ALRIGHT!" Delia suddenly exclaimed, making everyone look at her in shock at the outburst. "Now that that's out of the way, it's back to work!" She looked down at Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, sweetie, can you go and finish hanging up those streamers?"

 _"Saur! Bulbasaur!"_ Bulbasaur cried back and turned around to run to the lab; as he did, Delia looked at the rest of the people and Pokémon there.

"You too! We need to get things ready before Ash comes home! That could be any minute now! Let's go go go!" the brunette commanded, making everyone scamper off in a hurry. She looked at Oak and Agatha. "Since you two are done, I'd like you to help out too!"

"Oh, right, your party thing…" Agatha said. "What's it for again?"

"For my son," Delia replied, "Ash Ketchum."

"Huh? That sounds kind of familiar…" The older woman looked up, trying to remember where she had heard that name before. Then, her eyes lit up. "Ah, now I remember! That kid with the Pikachu!"

"Oh, you've met him?" Oak asked.

"Yeah, few years back. When Viridian's gym was vacant, I was filling the spot for a little bit. Man, that kid was interesting…" she folded her hands on top of her cane. "Hadn't seen a Pikachu that tough in a damn long time, not since–"

"Well," Delia interrupted. "Since you know him, we'd love to have you help with the cooking!"

"D-Delia!" Oak stammered. "You can't just—"

"Why not?" Agatha shrugged. "I'm sure I can still make a good ol' chocolate cake, if you let me take charge of it."

"Oh, of course!" Delia exclaimed. "That would be lovely! Do you need anything in particular!"

"No, no, I can make do with whatever's in the kitchen," Agatha replied, walking with her back to the lab, Gengar following close behind.

"Professor?" Tracey tried to wake Oak from his apparent trance as he stared at the two women striding off. "Are you…okay?"

Oak closed his eyes and shook his head to snap himself back to reality. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, Tracey," he confirmed. "Just a bit surprised, is all…" he gave a weak smile to his protégé, still petting Nidorino. He certainly wasn't expecting Agatha to go along with the party so easily…

* * *

Charizard swooped down and landed on the roof of a large, green-and-yellow building. His trainer slid off his back and took out a Pokéball, recalling the winged beast inside. Clipping it back on to his belt, he looked down upon the city they had arrived in. He took off his red-and-white hat and allowed the wind to flow through his hair as he gazed at the glimmering buildings, the glowing neon signs of the game corner, the massive structure that was the department store. Indeed, the city of rainbow colors that was Celadon absolutely glistened with majesty as far as his eye could see. It had been years, yet it seemed that the city still hadn't lost its reputation as the most beautiful in Kanto.

But of course, looks could be deceiving. And he was willing to bet that criminal organizations could still be roaming around…

Maybe it wasn't his responsibility anymore. After all, he had been gone for a pretty long time, maybe that problem's been taken care of. Then again, how would he know? He'd been on a mountain all this time. He sighed, and put his hat back on. Could he even recognize who was a criminal and who was an innocent anymore? It had been too long since he even interacted with another person… Though, he wasn't much of a talker before that, anyway, so maybe it wasn't a big deal.

He turned around and saw a door leading back to inside the building, just like he remembered. After staring at it for a few moments, he shrugged to himself. Whether he was worrying too much or not, it wouldn't hurt to have a look around. Just to get used to the world outside of Mt. Silver. And who knows what's changed since he was gone? He walked over to the door and put a hand on the knob. The young man hesitated, before taking a deep breath to compose himself. He twisted the knob and opened the door (they _still_ keep it unlocked, he thought to himself), and stepped inside.

* * *

 **College got in the way. Again. So naturally, this got updated pretty damn late. Hell, _Ultra Sun_ and _Ultra Moon_ came out before this chapter...**

 **To be honest, this chapter was supposed to be up a few months ago, but all the work from my classes delayed me. Though, in the few breaks I was able to get, I found myself adding more than I had originally planned... Regardless, I apologize. I got lots of crap in my life, but I'm still determined to see this story all the way through.**

 **This is probably the longest chapter yet. Not as long as other stories, but it's still significant for me. Consider it my way of making up for the delay.**

 **A few references in this chapter, by the way. Can you spot them all?**

 **Thanks for reading! Look out for the next chapter(whenever that will be...)!**


	6. City of the Rainbow's Colors

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Bonnie…"

"It's been two hours already! When are we getting there?!"

"Another two hours, Bonnie…"

"HUH?! Can't this thing go any faster?!"

"Bonnie, please be quiet, do you wanna get kicked out of the plane?!"

Pikachu shook his head as he peeked over from behind Clemont and Bonnie's seats. He was trying to take a nap in Ash's lap, but the siblings' constant bickering prevented him from even getting comfortable. Bonnie had been constantly pestering her older brother for a half hour now, asking if they were there yet over and over, as if with every time she asked, they would somehow go faster. The yellow Pokémon turned his gaze to other passengers; some were glaring daggers at the duo, and those who weren't still had quite annoyed expressions on their faces. Pikachu's eyes then moved down, and he could just barely make out Dedenne, despite all the ruckus, sleeping peacefully in Bonnie's hands. The larger rodent sighed; he was envious of the smaller Electric-type's level of noise tolerance…

"Pikachu doesn't seem happy," Serena's voice chimed from behind.

Pikachu pouted at Serena, letting an agitated " _Pi…_ " escape from his mouth. Serena looked sympathetically at him, understanding that it must be especially tough for Pikachu to deal with the noise, considering how acute his ears were.

"Give 'em a break," Ash said, patting Pikachu's head. "Bonnie's just excited to be going to a new region. Clemont's trying his best to calm her down. Can't get mad for that."

"That's true," Serena replied, "but they've been at this for a while. Clemont doesn't seem to be getting any closer to a solution here…" Pikachu nodded vehemently in agreement.

Ash shrugged. "Only two more hours, anyway. Besides, if people are really bothered by it, how come no one else has complained yet?" At this, Serena and Pikachu pointed to the faces of the other passengers. "Oh."

"Get Luxray to supercharge the engine or something!" Bonnie cried out from the seats in front of them.

"Bonnie, that's _not_ how it works…" Clemont muttered.

"Then ask the pilot to go faster!"

"Wha—what makes you think I can do that?!"

"I saw the pilot! It's a girl! And she's cute, too!"

" _ **Bonnie**_ …"

"I think I saw her checking you out, too! If you ask, maybe she'll even marry you!" At this, Bonnie found herself having to defend against her brother's attempts to slap his hand over her mouth – which, naturally, led to even more noise.

"Maybe you guys have a point," Ash finally admitted, rubbing his head awkwardly.

"If anyone asks, we don't know them." Serena whispered, earning a few snickers from Ash and Pikachu.

" _Pika pi_ ," Pikachu agreed. In between laughs, he caught a glimpse at the window next to Serena. He abruptly stopped, leaped onto Serena's legs and looked outside.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked, a bit concerned. "Everything okay?"

"Looks like he's just enjoying the sights," Serena reassured Ash with a wink, pointing to the large and beautiful city that Pikachu had his attention on. Ash looked outside as well, admiring the view; it was indeed a pretty beautiful view, especially in the evening sky. The glittering colors and flashing lights were quite a sight to see. Sure, they had seen similar things in other places on their travels, but that didn't change how nice it looked now. And how familiar it looked…

"Celadon?" Ash suddenly said, making Pikachu turn around and nod with enthusiasm.

"What was that?" Serena questioned, turning her head to Ash, then Pikachu, and back again. "Celadon?"

"Yeah, Celadon City!" Ash realized, mirroring his Pokémon's excitement with a smile. "Man, I haven't even seen it in forever! It's a miracle I even recognized it…"

"Wooooow!" Bonnie's voice suddenly joined in, as the view clearly also enthralled her. "You've been here, Ash?" She stood up so she could look at the Kanto native, Clemont similarly popping his head from over the back of his seat.

"Yeah, long time ago, when I was first starting out. Actually, what happened here.." Ash began to narrow his eyes at Pikachu. "… is kind of a funny story." Pikachu nervously sweat-dropped; he knew where this was going…

"Wha?! What do you mean? Tell us!" Bonnie demanded, jumping up and down ("Bonnie, _please…_ " Clemont tried to stop her). "What story?!"

Ash smiled bitterly, and crossed his arms, still glaring at Pikachu. "Well, it all started when my friends abandoned me for _perfume_..."  
" _Pi….ka…_ " Pikachu's voice faltered. Looked like the past had come back to haunt him…

* * *

Bigger. It had gotten bigger.

That was the only thought that echoed in the young raven-haired man's mind as he stared up at the large red-and-white building in front of him. At first he thought he was in the wrong place, but once he saw the white Pokéball painted above the door, it became clear that this was what he was looking for. This was the Pokémon Center. His mouth was slightly agape at the sight. Was it always like this? No, definitely not; he may have not visited Celadon in years, but he was _sure_ that its Center looked like all the others. He closed his mouth and recollected himself. Maybe it was just typical Celadon flair, the city's penchant for the extravagant. In any case, it was probably a good idea to go inside, since he still didn't totally readjust to so many people around him...

"Yo, Red!"

Shit. The trainer clenched his fists anxiously as he heard the male voice's call; only a half-hour into his return to civilization, and already the one thing he wanted to avoid happened. He prayed that no one else heard that call.

"Red! Hey! Why aren't you talking to me!"

Shut up, shut up, _shut up_. Whoever that was needed to shut up. Perhaps ignoring him would make him stop…

"Stop ignoring me, dude! Talk to me, Red!"

Or maybe not. He gritted his teeth in frustration; why the hell did he even want to come back? He should have just stayed on the mountain…

"I swear to Arceus, Red, I'm gonna come over there and punch you if you don't respond!"

Damn. Now _that_ would be even worse. Not the punch itself, but the fact that it would create a scene with so many people around. He stood there for another moment, before finally giving up. Slowly he began to turn around to meet eyes with whoever was calling his name…

"Derek, I already told you to never call me that again."

Red instantly froze, having moved only slightly. He caught sight of a red-haired, muscular man with an Arcanine tattoo drawn across his right arm. The man seemed to be glaring past Red, most likely at the source of the other voice. Sure enough, another brawny man, this one with brown hair, came up from behind and walked up to his companion, grinning and lightly bumping the Arcanine tattoo with his fist.

"Ah c'mon," Derek chuckled. "It suits you, man. Dunno why you'd dye your hair red without thinking you'd get a new name to go along with it."

"Maybe," the red-hair growled, "because you're the only person who thinks like that, dumbass."

"Ouch. Won't be able to impress Nurse Joy with that kinda attitude, Red…"

"Wha—shut the hell up, I don't care about that…"

"Then why are you standing outside the Pokémon Center, hmm?"

The blushing red-haired male pushed his friend aside, muttering to himself, as he walked inside the Pokémon Center, the grinning brown-hair following after.

Red stayed frozen for another moment before quickly wiping sweat from his forehead. That was way too close of a call. Thank goodness that guy spoke up when he did; if Red responded instead, who knows what would have happened. He couldn't afford to be recognized. Not after what his reputation had done all those years ago…

He forced himself to shake those thoughts out of his mind; he didn't leave the mountain to mope. He left to find new challenges. Recomposing himself, Red walked inside the Pokémon Center before people could notice how long he had been awkwardly standing there.

"Hello, and welcome to our Pokémon Center!"

The young man stopped, startled at the greeting he got as soon as he walked inside. It was the first time any person had addressed him in ages. Raising the brim of his hat, he looked at the Pokémon Center's red-haired nurse, who stood behind the counter with a pleasant smile that turned into a confused frown when she saw him standing there staring towards her. Realizing what he was doing, the trainer blinked multiple times and shook his head, before raising a hand to return the greeting.

"Are you alright, sir?" The nurse was still frowning, obviously concerned at the young man's reaction. Red nodded and walked over to the counter, tilting his cap back down. Her smile returned and she asked, "How may I help you today?"

Red didn't know what to say to that; it wasn't the question he remembered. As far as he knew, the first thing the nurses asked was "would you like your Pokémon healed?" Why else would he come to her, after all?

"Sir, are you sure you're okay?"

Despite being right in front of her, he only just realized that the red-haired woman was frowning at him once again. After cursing himself by allowing a barely audible "tch" to pass through his teeth, he opened his mouth to speak. But he didn't get very far.

"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy!"

The sudden hysterical voice stopped him from getting even one word out. Instead he only closed his eyes and quietly sighed. At the very least, the interruption distracted the nurse from his awkward silence…

"Yes, I'm right here!" Nurse Joy responded as the source of the intrusion rushed forward. "Oh, you poor dear, what happened?"

Red opened one eye and saw a boy panicking next to him; he seemed no older than 7, and sported a grey hoodie and black sweatpants. Beneath his hood, Red could make out short, black hair. There seemed to be some sort of mark on the child's face, though it was hard to tell for sure given how the boy stood with his hood up, next to the seasoned battler.

"The gym…The gym…" the boy stuttered and sniffed his nose, obviously crying. His words made both of Red's crimson eyes open.

"Oh no, Celadon Gym again…?" Nurse Joy asked sympathetically, the boy nodding his head, still sniffling. "Dear Mew…Chansey, could you please see if you can treat his wounds?" She looked behind her as she said this.

" _Chansey~!"_

Red was startled to see a rotund pink Pokémon with an egg in its pouch and a nurse's cap on its head come out from behind. He definitely missed a lot. Since when did Chanseys work in Pokémon Centers? Then again, maybe it was only logical that Pokémon like them would…

" _Chan! Chan!"_ Chansey held out one of her short arms and motioned for the boy to follow her. Still crying, the sudden guest walked over to Joy's assistant; as he saw him turn, Red realized that indeed, there was a mark on the kid's face. It was a large X, and it looked like it was…stamped? His face got stamped? Upon closer inspection, Red noticed something a bit more alarming: the boy's nose was bleeding.

"I'm sorry, sir. How may I help you?"

The older trainer looked at the nurse blankly for a second, before remembering why he even came to the Center in the first place. He opened his mouth once again, and a hoarse, wheezy sound came from it.

"E-Excuse me?" Joy was taken aback by the odd noise that came from the patron.

Red blushed slightly and cleared his throat, multiple times. He was never much of a talker, and after being on Mt. Silver for so long, it was natural for his voice to give out like that. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "I'd like my team healed."

It was Joy's turn to blush this time. She didn't expect that deep, manly voice to flow from the person in front of her. Quickly readjusting herself, she smiled and spoke, "Okay. May I see your Pokémon?"

Red nodded and, one-by-one, unclipped six Pokéballs from his belt and handed them over to the nurse, who proceeded to take out a tray from under the front desk and place each Pokéball inside one of six carved circles. He watched as she carried the tray over to a room behind her, where he assumed the healing machine was. A few seconds later, Nurse Joy returned – without any Pokéballs, nor a tray. Red stood there, an eyebrow raised, waiting for his team to be returned to him.

"Er," Joy nervously piped up, "is there anything else I may help you with, sir?"

He blinked in slight surprise, but his calm demeanor returned as he reasoned that this nurse must be new on the job. "Just waiting for my team," he muttered lowly so that only the nurse could hear him.

"I…" she replied hesitantly, "I see… Um, are you sure you wouldn't like to make yourself more…comfortable? You shouldn't have to stand here for an hour…"

Wait, what? Red stared at her, eyes widened, so that not even the brim of his hat could cover them. Last he checked, a few seconds wasn't the same as an hour. "Healing only takes about ten seconds…" he whispered.

Nurse Joy's confused expression vanished and was replaced with a pleasant, understanding smile. "You're talking about the machines from ten years ago, aren't you?" The young man slowly and silently nodded. She giggled at his reaction. "Oh, forgive me," she managed to say in between her laughter. "It's just been so long since anyone has even talked about them! They were convenient, weren't they?" She pulled herself back together and continued to smile warmly at the patron standing in front of her. "Forgive me for asking, but is this your first time back at a Pokémon Center?" Another nod. "I see. Well, I'm afraid that about – let me think, eight years ago, I believe – the International Committee of Pokémon Health and Wellbeing voted to cease production of those healing machines. They seemed to be worried about any potential side-effects, so now all Pokémon Center staff are trained in precise and careful medical care."

The surprise on Red's face lingered for a few moments more, then he closed his eyes and pulled his hat down, trying to hide his irritation at the inconvenience.

"Until then, please make yourself comfortable! Our Pokémon Center comes with free lodging for trainers, as well as complimentary dining services!" Red nodded at Nurse Joy's warm welcome, still attempting to mask his ever-growing confusion. He turned and let his eyes scan the surroundings; how could he not have noticed how large this room is when he first walked in? Instead of the plain, barely-occupied building that he was used to, now he saw clusters of people engaged in some activity throughout the Center. Moreover, on his left was an open archway to what looked like a cafeteria; on his right, a closed door that had a wood carving in the shape of a bed hanging over it. Red frowned – he wondered what else had changed since he was gone…

" _Chan~! Chan-sey~!"_

He turned his head to see Chansey walking back to the front with the child from earlier, who now had a large band-aid spread across his nose.

"Oh, thank you Chansey," Nurse Joy acknowledged. The pink Pokémon waved its stubby arms in what seemed to be its way of saying "you're welcome" to its human counterpart, who walked over to the boy. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders in a sort of motherly fashion, smiling sympathetically at him. "Does it still hurt? Don't worry, everything will be all right…"

Red glanced at Nurse Joy and the boy, who still appeared to be crying. Honestly, even the stoic veteran couldn't help but feel bad for the kid; whatever happened at the Celadon Gym must have been rough. Though the fact that _anything_ rough could happen there was surprising, to say the least. From what he remembered, it was a gym full of girls – though that fact wasn't what gave him the impression of a gentle group of trainers. Hell, after a particularly tough battle at the Cerulean Gym, he would have been a fool to underestimate a woman.

But the girls at Celadon Gym were all just… out of it. The entire time he was there, every trainer he battled seemed to be more interested in the sweet aroma or the colorful and vibrant indoor garden, than the fight happening in front of them. Even the Gym Leader acted that way. Actually, she was probably the most distracted, too busy worrying about how both her Pokémon and his looked in battle. In fact she admitted that she would "never collect Pokémon if they were unattractive," upon learning that Red had a Pokédex (and then she promptly took a nap).

Maybe she toughened up, he thought. Or maybe there's a new Gym Leader? He couldn't help but be curious about the ordeal. The fact that the nurse asked if Celadon Gym was blame "again" meant that it had probably been like this for a while now.

Challenging. The word echoed in Red's head – a thirst for challenge was the reason he left Mt. Silver in the first place. Could it have been his desire that led him to Celadon? In any case, it had been too long since he battled another trainer. Wild Pokémon encounters could only keep you entertained for so long. He shrugged to himself and decided to edge closer to the nurse and boy, hoping to gather more information and see if this was a quest worth pursuing…

"Do your Pokémon need some help too, sweetie?" Nurse Joy gently asked the sniffling child.

"I don't have him with me…"

"Hm? Where is he…?"

The sniffling boy clenched his fists and struggled to control his sobs before answering. "The gym took him from me!"

Red's crimson eyes narrowed. His Pokémon was _stolen_? What kind of gym would do that?

Unless… that organization could have been _revived_? But he _beat_ them…

He noticed that the young nurse, on the other hand, did not seem very shocked. In fact, it almost looked like she had expected it…

"It's okay, hun," Nurse Joy reassured. "What's your name?"

"Johnny…"

"Well, Johnny, I'm right here for you. You can let it all out, I'm listening…"

'So am I', Red thought.

Johnny sniffled for a few moments more and rubbed his teary eyes. Then, he took a big gulp, looked straight at Nurse Joy, and began to explain. "It started…"

* * *

"…when I got to Celadon so we could get a gym badge," Ash began as he patted Pikachu on the head. "It was way back when I was just beginning as a trainer, so I was pretty much a total newbie. Isn't that right?" Ash smirked down at Pikachu.

" _Pikaaa…"_ Pikachu nodded without any hesitation, to the slight shock (and amusement) of the others.

"Anyway, we were traveling along with two close friends, Misty and Brock –"

"As in, the Water trainer Misty, correct? And the former Rock trainer Brock?" Clemont inquired.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know that?" Ash asked, he and Pikachu looking at their friend with curiosity.

"Sometimes you just feel like doing research," Clemont replied with a shrug. "And I'm still technically a Gym Leader, so I figured that I might as well see where I might stack up compared to others in my position."

"Wow," Bonnie chimed in, "and I thought the only thing you researched was how to make stuff that blows up in your face…" She received a light flick on the forehead from her brother for that.

"Anyway," Serena interrupted, "go on, Ash."

The Kalos Champion nodded and continued. "Well, we got to the city, and all of the sudden, everyone but me just kinda went off somewhere. So I'm looking around for 'em, and then I finally find these guys in some _perfume_ shop…" Pikachu's nose twitched, a dreamy expression overtaking him. Ash took quick notice of this and rolled his eyes. "And apparently they _really_ enjoyed it." A blush spread across the rodent's visage.

"I can relate!" Serena chirped. "I'd probably have gone, too!"

"Wait," Bonnie mused. "I thought Brock was a guy? It sounds like a boy's name…"

"Uh," Ash replied, "yeah. He is."

" _Huuuuuh?_ I didn't know guys liked perfume!" Bonnie's eyes lit up with surprise. "Hey, Clemont, does that mean you like perfume?!"

"What?" the elder Lumiose native was taken aback. "I never cared for it. Just because one man likes it doesn't mean all men like it, Bonnie!"

"Neither do all girls." Ash couldn't help but form a smug smirk when Bonnie's shocked eyes shot back at him upon hearing his comment. "My mom doesn't really like it. She's crazy about beauty stuff, too, but for some reason she's not a big fan of perfume. I probably don't like it because she doesn't, actually…" He shrugged, and continued. "Anyway, Misty's asking a girl working there how much it'll cost, but I decided to interrupt and tell her, uh, not to waste her money…" Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

" _In front_ of the employee?" Serena asked incredulously. "Honestly, you have no tact…"

"C'mon, I was 10! We all did stupid things at that age... And besides, I got punished for it anyway. The manager ended up hearing me and got up in my face about it, but I wouldn't budge and went on about how all perfumes were a waste and that they make guys a bunch of zombies, like how Brock was acting…" Ash nervously sweat-dropped when he saw his three human companions roll their eyes at his 10-year-old self's lack of mannerism. He saw Pikachu snickering at their reaction, apparently enjoying his trainer's humiliation. "Gee, thanks buddy. So, I say all that, and all the employees, and Misty, Brock, and Pikachu get mad at me and kick me out of the store—"

"Er, wait." Clemont piped up. "How were your _friends_ able to kick you out? They didn't work there, did they? So…"

"They were _accepted_ into the perfume cult's ranks." Ash glared down at Pikachu, whereas Clemont and the others stared at their friend's first companion in mild shock.

" _Pika pi…_ " was all that Pikachu could muster as he timidly looked at the floor below him. Ash rubbed his Pokémon's head affectionately.

"Seems pretty bad of you now, doesn't it?" he asked with a sneer, making Pikachu squeal nervously.

"But, they still went with you to the gym, right?" Bonnie chimed in.

"You kidding? They were staying with all those shop people the entire day. I had to go to the gym alone – well, except for the rest of my Pokémon, of course."

"Huuuh?! The perfume couldn't have been _THAT_ good, could it?!" Bonnie put her face closer to Pikachu's sheepish gaze, staring at him intensely, as if waiting for an answer.

"Well, everyone except me thought so. In fact, when I got to the gym…"

* * *

"…they wouldn't let me in!" Johnny cried. "I thought it was closed, but they just hated that I didn't like the perfume!"

Still watching unnoticed, Red made a small frown. No gym could turn down a challenger – especially for such a petty reason. Maybe the kid was misunderstanding the whole thing.

"That sounds just like them…"

Red's eyes darted to Nurse Joy as she spoke those words. He couldn't have heard that right. No way in hell they could _actually_ refuse challenges because of some stupid perfume. Yet her words didn't sound sarcastic, or even reassuring. They sounded, along with sympathetic, almost factual.

"Then I," Johnny started, before having to sniff his nose again, "I tried telling them perfume doesn't have anything to do with Pokémon, but that only made them angrier…"

"And then what happened, Johnny?" Joy quietly asked. When he hesitated to answer, she hugged him gently. "You don't need to be afraid, I'm here to help you…"

"…they got out a big stamp," the boy murmured, "and hit me in the face…"

Okay, _fuck no_.

He knew that he was letting his anger get the better of him. That this matter didn't concern him, and that he didn't need to act the part of hero. All he wanted was to find a new challenge, undisturbed, inconspicuously. The last thing he wanted was any more association with people than was needed.

But there was no way in hell he was letting this stand.

Red went from slowly approaching the pair to simply walking over to them. As she attempted to comfort the now-bawling boy, Joy noticed that Johnny, in between tears and hiccups, was shifting his gaze towards something past her, and she turned her head to see the young man now just a couple of feet from them. After some brief seconds of awkward silence, accompanied by a timid Johnny and a startled nurse, Red realized that this was the part where he starts talking. "How old are you, kid?" For some reason he didn't understand, Red noticed the boy shifting his gaze to the floor as soon as he asked that. What, was his age some sort of forbidden secret he wasn't supposed to know?

Little Johnny, on the other hand, felt more than a little intimidated by the deep, gruff voice of the stranger. Not exactly what one needed while dealing with something as difficult as his ordeal. Barely whispering, and still looking down, he shyly replied, "Ten, mister…"

Luckily for Red, being the "professional" in barely-audible speech, he heard Johnny's answer and grunted in acknowledgement – though he couldn't help but think that the kid was pretty soft, even for a ten-year-old. When he was just 11, he was already battle-hardened by the time he got to Celadon. Then again, maybe he just happened to have gone through more than the average trainer… in any case, he continued: "Is this your first gym badge?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Then I'll show you how to win one."

* * *

"…is basically, kinda, sorta what Team Rocket said," Ash abashedly continued. "Well, maybe not really…"

"Honestly," Serena scolded, "I can't believe you. Taking help from _Team Rocket_ , of all people…"

"C'mon, can't you gimme some kind of break? I was only 10…"

"I'm younger than 10, and I know I can't trust Team Rocket so easily!" Bonnie protested.

"Oh." Ash honestly had no rebuttal for that. He glanced at Pikachu, who was evidently enjoying the tables being turned, to which he narrowed his eyes at his partner. "Yeah, so funny…"

"I'm a bit scared to ask," Clemont piped up, "but what ended up happening?"

"Ah, jeez. Nothing that I don't regret." Ash glared daggers at Pikachu when the electric mouse burst out laughing.

"What's with Pikachu?" Serena asked, startled by his sudden outburst.

"He knows what's coming, that's what."

* * *

"W-what?" Johnny stammered. "What did… you say?"

Red frowned. He wasn't sure if the boy was in disbelief or he genuinely couldn't make out what he murmured. "I said," he repeated himself, in a slightly clearer voice, "I'm going to show you how to win a gym badge." His brow furrowed when Johnny kept his confused gaze.

"That is quite kind of you," Nurse Joy interrupted, "mister, erm…"

"Jack," Red replied without looking at her. He gave the first name that came to mind. Though he didn't know why that was what he thought of.

"Right, that's quite kind, Jack," Joy continued, "but the problem is more than just a question of getting a gym badge. And besides, I don't think it's proper – or even legal, for that matter – for you to win a badge for someone else…" Her voice died out when the stranger eventually turned his gaze to her.

"I didn't say I'd win the badge for the kid. That'd be an insult to him." He felt Johnny's eyes on him, and turned back to him. He raised an eyebrow in slight surprise when he saw that the confused and nervous expression on the boy had become one of curiosity, and inwardly, he couldn't help but congratulate himself for it. Maybe he was good at this talking thing, after all. "Kid," Red continued, "I'm gonna show you how to beat a Gym Leader, so you'll know how to do it yourself."

"But, what about my Pokémon—" Johnny started.

"When I'm done, you're getting not only your Pokémon back, but payback for what the trainers at the gym pulled. Then they won't ever try to do some shit like that again."

" _Jack!_ " Nurse Joy exclaimed. Her disapproving glare didn't falter when the young man looked at her, stunned. " _Language_ , please," she finished, sternly.

It took a second or two for Red to register what she meant. He nodded apologetically, but he let the brim of his hat cover his eyes so that no one could see him rolling them. On his first journey, after hearing adults swear left and right while in their presence, he had come to normalize such words as part of everyday language. But, what did he know, he thought – he barely even talked.

"Can you really do that, mister?" Johnny asked. Both his and Joy's eyes lit up when the stranger cautiously opened his jacket in response, revealing 8 tarnished, but still discernable, Indigo League gym badges, Celadon's Rainbow Badge among them.

"Who's the Gym Leader?" Red asked after an awkward pause. "Is it still Erika?"

"That's right," Nurse Joy confirmed. "She's been running the gym for the past ten years."

Though the way she ran it seemed to have changed in that time. Red kept those thoughts to himself and nodded. "As soon as Johnny's ready, I'll go over to the gym with him." He grazed his right hand on his belt: it was a habit of his to do so before a battle. This time, however, he was briefly surprised when he didn't feel any Pokéballs clipped to his belt, before remembering that they didn't get immediately healed up. "Or, I guess as soon as my team's feeling better…"

"That's awfully nice of you, Jack," Nurse Joy remarked approvingly. "I'm sure Johnny appreciates that. Right, Johnny?"

"Why are you helping me?" Johnny ignored the nurse – as well as his own hesitation that just moments ago kept him wary of the man standing in front of him.

The veteran trainer stood still for a second, then shrugged. He didn't have much of an answer other than he just wanted to. That's how he always did things.

"Well, before you two go on your way," Nurse Joy interrupted, "I think Johnny should get some rest. As should you, Jack. Perhaps you could head over to the gym tomorrow?" Red nodded, Johnny slowly echoing his response. "Wonderful! Until then, make yourselves comfortable. Maybe get to know each other."

Ah, crap. Red didn't think he would have to talk even _more_ …

* * *

"And, that's about it." Ash finished recounting his crazy perfume-hating, friend-testing, power-abusing, trust-misplacing, crossdressing, fire-causing, Pokémon-rescuing story about he got the Rainbow Badge from the Celadon Gym. About time, too, it was getting tiring talking about the whole thing.

"Wow, you used to suck!" Bonnie exclaimed, earning a light punch on the head from her older brother. "Ow…"

"Yeah, I guess I did." The 17-year-old trainer glanced at a smug Pikachu. "Though I wasn't the only one…" he added with a sly smile which grew wider when he saw Pikachu frown.

"I'm still shocked that your friends left you behind for something like perfume," Serena said in disapproval.

Ash merely shrugged. "We were stupid kids. We didn't know any better." He paused before musing out loud, "then again, Brock was like, 15 at the time…"

"You sure didn't know that Team Rocket would set the gym on fire!" Bonnie added. "Even though _I_ would have…"

" _Dedenne!_ "

The group was surprised to see Bonnie's tiny friend having finally woken up, yawning and stretching after what looked like a restful nap. It snuggled up to Bonnie, who affectionately petted it in response. "Look who's finally woken up, sleepy-head!"

Ash smiled at the two's bond. "Actually, that whole Celadon experience taught me something that Bonnie and Dedenne already have in the bag…" His friends looked at him curiously, Bonnie having a hint of excitement on her face. "Empathy with my Pokémon." He rubbed Pikachu on the head, making the other electric mouse coo in comfort.

"Attention, passengers. We will be landing in a few minutes. Please remain in your seats and fasten your seatbelts and prepare for the turbulence."

"WE'RE HERE!" Bonnie screamed with a huge smile. Clemont didn't even bother to silence her this time, instead flashing a small smile.

Ash leaned forward and looked at the city they were approaching. Looked like his story killed quite some time, as they were already at Viridian City – which meant they were close to Pallet. "We're almost home, bud."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu squeaked.

"I've heard that this is where the start is for a lot of trainers in Kanto," Clemont remarked. "Viridian City has a reputation."

"It looks gorgeous…" Serena admired.

"Hey, hey!" Bonnie piped up. "Let's explore once we get out of the plane!"

"Bonnie, we need to go to Pallet Town…" Clemont tried to tell her.

"I know, I know, but we can go there after, right?!"

"Don't you think Ash would rather want to go home?"

"Actually," Ash interjected, "we should probably stay in Viridian for a night before heading out to Pallet. It's gonna get dark pretty soon, and Route 1 becomes completely different at night…"

Pikachu shuddered at the memory of that evening. No matter how strong he had gotten, he'd never shake off those Spearow from his trauma.

"Great!" Bonnie cheered. "Then we explore!"

"Well, just don't go off running on your own…" Clemont warned sternly.

"Especially considering we need to get to the Pokémon Center first," Serena added.

"Yeah, good idea," Ash agreed.

" _Chu, chu!_ " Pikachu reminded his friend.

"Oh, yeah! That too!" He smiled and only gave a wink to the others' questioning gazes. They've seen Wigglytuff working in Pokémon Centers, maybe they knew about Chansey doing the same, but he doubted that they knew about how Pikachu power came into play…

* * *

Red laid on his bed with his arms folded behind his head, gazing at the ceiling. Honestly, first a total expansion of the Pokémon Center, then a Chansey working alongside nurses, next an hour-long healing process, and now room and board. He was _really_ out of the loop. Still, not like he was complaining. For the first time in years, he got to take a regular shower, which he had to admit was better than a Blastoise-powered bath. And the food they served was pretty decent. He had to be careful, or else he could get used to this.

He thought about his interaction with Johnny. It started off very awkward, what with Red preferring the silent treatment and Johnny too shaken up and scared to say much. Hell, for the first hour practically nothing was exchanged between the two – they had to fill the void with their food. It was only after Red's Pokémon were healed did things finally liven up. Johnny asked what kind of Pokémon the trainer had, to which Red allowed for just one to be seen: his elegant and cool Espeon. The Psychic-type was somewhat surprised to see that he wasn't in the familiar caves of Mt. Silver, but it didn't take long for him to warm up to the Pokémon Center. As he rested contently on his trainer's lap, Espeon was able to tune out Johnny's fascination and awe with him, much to Red's jealousy, for he wanted to do the same.

Though, some useful information was extracted. Johnny revealed that the Pokémon who left him for the girls at Celadon Gym was an Eevee. The kid got it as his starter, and had been traveling with it for about a month. Apparently that wasn't enough to stop Eevee from choosing perfume over its trainer. Red still thought that the Celadon Gym trainers were way out of line refusing Johnny both his Pokémon back and entry to the gym; but he also thought that maybe there was some responsibility shared by the novice trainer. He kept those thoughts to himself, though. That's a lesson the boy would learn when reunited with Eevee.

Would Erika recognize him, Red wondered. And if she did, would word spread of his reappearance? He prayed that he wouldn't be given away – he couldn't handle going through all that again. Suddenly, doubts shrouded his mind. Why _should_ he help Johnny? Not like he was his babysitter. Hell, why even return to civilization? If things were this ridiculous, then why should it be his job to fix it? And was it really worth jeopardizing everything he tried to protect up until now?

" _Mrrresp?_ "

Red was startled out of his anxiety by the gentle purr of Espeon, who stood up straight by Red's bedside. The Eeveelution tilted his head at his master in a questioning manner – no doubt that he read his mind and was curious as to why suddenly, after years of battling and traveling, after the cold and bitter days upon Mt. Silver, should any sort of doubt be felt from the hardened champion. Red gazed at Espeon, then closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, steely determination had returned to his crimson pupils. Espeon was right. The consequences of his actions were something he'd worry about later. Now, he just had to do what he always did: focus not on the past, nor the future, but the here and now. On the fight that was within his reach and the direction that his gut told him was the right one. As far as he was concerned, Erika was doing wrong. That's all there was to it.

Celadon Gym apparently changed while he was gone. So did the city. And probably Kanto as a whole. It was almost foreign to him. But the way of a trainer, the way of battle – that could never change, or else the trainer would cease to exist. Erika seemed to have forgotten that. Johnny evidently never learned that. So it fell upon him to teach it, and now, with all doubts cleared from his mind, he was glad to take the job.

Espeon leaped up the bed, sensing that the clouds in his partner's mind had vanished, and purred as Red caught him and gently stroked the delicate purple fur on his head. Red allowed himself to smirk – his Espeon would be even happier when it got to battle the next day.

* * *

 _ **Oh my God. I took so damn long just to finish this.**_

 _ **Naturally I owe you an explanation - I'm sorry to say that I have a generic one. University life, internship, extracurriculars, classes, chores, learning how to drive, and other projects - they pretty much just ate up all my time, that it was rare that I even got a chance to work on this chapter.**_

 ** _Fortunately, I eventually figured that I can write at least a little each day instead of forcing myself to churn out blocks of text. With that strategy, I managed to finish up this chapter and get it to be around as long as the last. Though, to be honest, I was considering making it TWICE as long as a way to make up for the time it took update. But, considering how long you've been waiting already... that'd make me an asshole._**

 ** _So. Red's talking. He never talks in the games, but he's talking here. Why is that? Long story short, it's easier to make him interact with other characters when he isn't fucking mute. Even the best fanfics I've read that feature him don't make him COMPLETELY silent. If you happen to really like a fanfiction that does that, hey, more power to you._**

 ** _As for the whole incident with the Celadon Gym: even back when I was a kid, when I watched that episode of the anime where Ash battled Erika, I found it utter and complete bullshit that Ash's friends (INCLUDING PIKACHU) left him for some god damned perfume. I know the early episodes of the anime were much more comedy-based, but c'mon. Only bastards do that. And only bastards refuse entry to the gym because of perfume. So, I decided to make that the first "foe" that Red fights. And next chapter's gonna be the battle, so look out for that!_**

 ** _But what about Ash? Where's his screen time? Don't worry about that; after Red vs Erika concludes, it'll be Ash's turn to show off._**

 ** _Until then, it's time for the standard thanks. So, THANKS for reading and being so patient! Your support means a lot to me - seeing someone leave a review, or a notification that someone's got this on their story alert (or me on their author alert) gives me some of the best encouragement in life, believe me!_**


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